The Devil and the Hero: Forgive and Forget
by Radentor
Summary: Emi and Maou are two powerful beings from another world, destined to be mortal enemies. As Emi the Hero and Maou the Demon King learn to live side by side in a world of technology, science, and rent money, could they also learn to forgive and forget? Could a world without magic be the answer to Ente Isla's ancient war? Could a Hero and a Demon King ever fall in love?
1. The Devil and the Hero: Vengeance

Sadao Maou had no idea why Emi Yusa was being so kind to him. She had handed him an umbrella, and when he'd thanked her, she replied in a very cheery voice, twirling her own umbrella happily. Maou's suspicion may have seemed unwarranted to any who did not know of their history, but then again, few knew that Maou was the Devil from another world. Nor did they know that Emi was the Hero, a rare combination of human and Angel bloodlines, resulting in a very special power known as the Sacred Sword. It was said that the Hero of Ente Isla, the fantastical world from which the Devil and the Hero both hailed, was destined to stop the Devil. Emi was sure that she was the Hero of legend. No one had ever come as close as she had to defeating him. In fact, he'd only just managed to escape from Ente Isla after being defeated when he'd traversed the Gate and wound up stuck with no magical power in modern day Japan. Emi had followed, only to be trapped just as Satan had. And now, after witnessing a newer, more humanitarian side of Maou, Emi had little choice but to believe he had changed.

Maou had saved humans time and again, using up his precious magic to repair their buildings and structures, doing his utmost to prevent casualties and prevent knowledge of paranormal beings from Ente Isla from spreading. Emi had watched as he battled Lucifer. She had witnessed the King of Demons fight off angels and defend human life in one night. Maou had even saved Emi, though she was rather ungrateful for it. And now, after all that, they stood together in the rain, clutching their umbrellas.

"Hey Maou?"

"Yeah?"

"I just thought… well, the Devil's Castle is pretty far away, and this rain isn't going to stop until later tomorrow morning. If you'd like you could-uh-come over and sleep on my couch or something, seeing as Dullahan was crushed by Suzuno."  
Emi looked at Maou and was surprised to see Maou's eyes tear up.

"Are you seriously crying, Maou?"

"Many steeds shall come and go, but Dullahan shall always hold a special place in my heart."

"Ok then, you can walk back to the Devil's Castle in this downpour, that's fine by me."

"Wait… I'd be an idiot to refuse an offer to stay closer to work. Only one thing, what's the catch?"

Emi smiled big and sent a shiver up Maou's spine. For the first time since his manager had told him about a MgRonalds worker being sent off to Greenland, he felt fear.

"No catch, I promise. I just thought I'd be nice, seeing as you saved me from Sariel, but if you'd rather-"

"No! No that's fine, I'll take you up on that offer. Lead the way Emilia."

"No problem, Satan."

"Whoops, sorry. I meant to say Emi."

"I thought so."

When Emi opened the door to her apartment in the enormous complex, Maou was completely taken aback. He always figured Emi had a nice place, but she had made herself a fine little home in an unfamiliar world. She had a laptop with internet, a flat screen TV with cable, a fully stocked kitchen and a bathroom that Maou could actually move in without falling into either the tub, the sink or the toilet. While Maou showered, Emi set to work. She grabbed a knife from the kitchen and hid it in her sleeve. She slipped a small dosage of the Holy Vitamin Beta into the soup that she had been simmering since she'd left for work that morning. Emi frowned as she chopped and stirred and diced, finishing the final preparations for the set up. Sadao Maou would answer for his crimes on Ente Isla. He would suffer as Emilia's father had. And then, at the end of it all, she would kill the Devil.

"Emi?"

Maou's voice startled her as she focused upon how close her vengeance was. She slipped with the knife in her hand and accidentally nicked her thumb. It wasn't a bad cut, but it bled profusely. Maou stepped into the light, covered in only a towel wrapped around his waist. Emi didn't notice his lack of clothing until Maou stopped his approach and just stared at Emi. She looked and found him gazing intently at the blood on her hand, his eyes almost glowing with an insidious crimson light. His mouth hung open and his breaths were shaky.

"Maou, put some clothes on," Emi shrieked, unsure of what he might do next.

Maou's eyes blinked and in the moment they were concealed the glow vanished, leaving Maou looking normal, dumbstruck and dripping on the kitchen floor.

"You're hurt."

"I'm fine."

Emi turned away from Maou, rifling through the drawers about the kitchen in search of an expendable rag she could use to stop the bleeding.

"Here, let me help-"

"I said I'm fine!"

She continued to search through the numerous drawers about the kitchen. She tried to stop the blood from flowing but it was no use, she bled on the floor, on the counter and in several drawers she'd looked through. Emi's hair fell into her face and she huffed it away angrily. Finally she found a rag and tied it tightly around her thumb. With the bleeding stopped she once again noticed Maou's semi-nude state. She covered her eyes with her bad hand.

"Go to the guest room, check the trunk at the foot of the bed, there might be something in there for you to wear."

"Thanks."

Maou turned to leave.

"Oh, and Emi?"

"What?"

"Thanks for letting me stay here. After my battle with Sariel, I'm honestly not sure I would've made it home tonight. I mean, I could've been mugged and I would have been completely helpless."

"It's no problem."

Again, she spoke without feeling, just looking at the floor and making conversation, her voice betraying no joy whatsoever.

"Then why does it feel like it is a problem?"

"Huh?"

"Never mind, thanks again. I'll leave first thing tomorrow morning so you don't get too uncomfortable."

With that Maou left the kitchen. Emi leaned against the counter and crossed her arms, feeling the blade she'd hidden in her sleeve. She brought up a hand to her chin, holding her head up.

 _Am I doing the right thing? He may have been the Devil, but now he's just so…_

She continued to think until she heard an insane howl of laughter coming from her living room. With a leap she took off, wheeling about to face the intruder. Instead she saw Maou, dressed in shorts and a tee shirt that were obviously not the right fit for him. He rolled on the floor in front of the TV, laughing uncontrollably at what Emi guessed was a child's cartoon. Maou poked the controller, hoping to stop his laughter so that he could breathe. Instead it flipped over to a stand-up comedian and after a quick one liner, Maou was on the floor again, giggling like an idiot. He spotted Emi staring at him from the doorway to the Kitchen.

"HA Ha haha, Emi, Haha ha ha Haaaa. Emi, you have to- HA- you have to watch this-s-s-s HA! HAHAhaaa! This is-" he inhaled deeply trying to calm himself. "This is great, I think you'd like this guy."

Emi stood there, fighting the urge to smile as she watched the Lord of Demons roll on her living room floor and laugh at jokes about the economy. Then a thought occurred to her, why was she trying not to smile? Why was she holding back her feelings of happiness and mirth? Because she was about to kill this man? Because she was too focused on revenge? If all of these bad things had happened to her, then didn't she deserve a laugh? Didn't she deserve to be happy? Emi smiled. For the first time in a long time, she actually entertained the thought of forgiving Maou. He was, after all, only human now. Could he really be held accountable for all the death and destruction caused in Ente Isla?

She returned to the kitchen and watched the soup, as it was very nearly done. When she had finally deemed it edible, she dished two bowls and activated her higher senses. The celestial force contained within the broth was detectible, but it wasn't unbearably strong. Everything in the apartment was coated in it, Emi's presence did that. The food was no exception, but would it pass by Maou undetected? She breathed a long, low sigh preparing herself for what she was about to do.

Fixing a smile on her face, she walked out to the living room and handed Maou a bowl, before slumping down onto the couch next to him. They sat together in silence and watched the news for a while until Maou broke the silence.

"Hey, the soup is great! Is there more?"

"Sure, it's on the stove. Help yourself."

Maou got up and entered the kitchen and Emi listened hard. She heard the lid being lifted off the pot of stew and the ladle scraping the bottom. She then paid closer attention to the TV as Maou returned and seated himself on the couch, resting against the opposite armrest as Emi. He scarfed down the food and stared intently at the TV.

"I didn't miss anything did I? I've been keeping tabs on current events, in case I missed anything in the clean-up after our battle with Sariel. The most I've heard is that he disappeared from his cell after my manager got him booked for being a creep. I don't sense his presence anymore though, so I think he's gone back to Ente Isla. If I had to guess, I'd say he'll be reporting to his heavenly superiors. What do you think, Emi?"

"I wouldn't know as I'm not an angel."

"Well, your half angel. Doesn't that mean anything?"

"You heard Sariel. There's a reason my power is called the 'Better Half.' It's because angels believe they're better than humans. We're just lowly beings who depend on the Angels to protect us from you demons," Emi said sarcastically, "so no, I'm not exactly kosher with the angels either."

"That's gotta be tough. I'm still confused though, prophecies and legends say that the Hero is supposed to stop the Devil. That's me. I would think that the angels would put you up on a pedestal or something. The Hero who stopped the Devil being half angel would be great publicity."

"Yeah, I'm confused too. Anyway, I'm gonna go to bed soon, I took an extra shift at work and I have to wake up early. Could you finish this?"

Emi held out her bowl of soup and Maou's eyes widened. He lunged and snatched the bowl away before Emi could react.

"I take it you like it?"

"This is amazing," he said thickly through a mouthful of potato, beans and meat. "This is the best soup I've ever tasted. You've gotta give Alciel your recipe. I bet if it tasted a little less celestial forcey it'd be a favorite of demons everywhere."

"You think so? Sure, let me just contribute to the feeding of your demonic army!"

"Sheesh, fine keep it a secret."

"Just kidding. You can have the rest if you want. You can take it home and Alciel can replicate it."

"Really? Are you sure?! Great, I'll take it. Actually, I'm not sure I'll have any left, any chance I could just get the recipe?"

"Wow, you demons sure are demanding… I'll print off a copy of the recipe, you finish off the soup. Then I think you can help me do the dishes!"

"…deal."

Emi clicked away, pretending to look for the recipe. Maou went to kitchen to finish off the soup and she waited for the Holy Vitamin Beta to work its way through the Devil's system. She knew it had worked when she heard his body hit the floor. She spun about and slowly approached the prone figure. He was lying next to the empty pot that, only minutes before, held the soup. His stomach had a bump from his gluttony and he giggled like an idiot. Emi had seen this before, at a party she had attended with Rika. The Devil had gotten drunk off of Holy Vitamin Beta. He looked up at her and his eyes glazed over. He had large pink blotches on his cheeks and his speech was rather slurred.

"Emi… I need to tell you shumthin. It's -hic- important. Jusht… don't hit me-hic-pleashe."

"What is it?"

"I can shee up your shkirt."

Emi delivered a sharp kick to Maou's ribcage, causing him to roll over and curl up, moaning angrily.

"I shaid… don't hit me. I even-hic-shaid pleashe."

Emi sat on the couch and looked down at Maou, the Ruler of Demons, whom was now in her power. The Holy Vitamin Beta would eventually wear off, so she decided to put her plan into action. She drew the knife from her sleeve and brandished it at Maou, whose glazed eye's suddenly widened with realization. Even in his slow and drunken state, he knew his life was at stake.

"You are going to answer my questions, Maou. And if I don't like your answers, I will make sure you die in the most painful way possible. Now, why did you kill my father?"

"I didn't."

"You DIDN'T," Emi cried.

"NO! You had LUCIFER and his ARMY do it, YOU are BLAMELESS, right SATAN?" Emi yelled every other word and Maou simply lay there, not trusting himself to speak. His mind was cloudy and his tongue felt thick.

"Emi, listen-"

"I don't want to hear it, Demon King, I know you did it!"

"No, Lucifer… I didn't… the army was ambushed. The town you grew up in… destroyed… before Lucifer got there. Knights were waiting. I swear to you, Emi."

Maou's head rolled as he looked at Emi, tears filling the corners of his eyes.

"I can show… I can let you watch… the memory."

"I don't trust you inside my head."

"Mirror."

Emi stood up carefully, concealing her body from the man on the floor as she fetched a mirror from the bathroom. It was rectangular and rimmed in metal. She set it next to Maou and kneeled next to the mirror.

"Do it," she demanded. "Show me what you're talking about."

Maou reached out a hand from where he lay and set it on the mirror. For a moment his eyes glowed brightly, a burning red glare. Then his hand sunk through the mirror and it became a black rectangle. An image slowly formed of a dark throne room and Emi stared down at a man, kneeling before her view point, presumably from a high throne.

"General Lucifer, reporting in, Sire."

"Good. I presume you have news?"

Emi didn't realize how long it had been since she'd last heard the language of Ente Isla.

"Indeed, Sire. It seems that our sources were correct. The Hero has been found. Unfortunately, we were too late. Upon our arrival a small force of Knights from the church and a single High Priest were waiting for us. After the battle we scoured the village. The Hero's family was not where our intel had said they would be. Everyone else had been killed beforehand. The lack of flesh wounds brought me to believe magic was the cause of death. Even so, the High Priest that we faced was not the culprit, as his magic was substandard."

"So you bring me news of failure?"

"No, lord. I bring good tidings, if you would only listen, I would convey them to you in good time."

"Speak then, but be quick," Satan said with a hint warning in his voice.

"Of course, sire. After piecing together the information I had, I decided to summon a swarm of griffons to track our mystery man. They were intercepted by a well-placed platoon of archers."

"You imbecile!"

Satan stood and charged at Lucifer. Meanwhile, Lucifer stayed where he was kneeling at the foot of his lords throne.

"The archers were then wiped out by the hell hounds I sent to track the one responsible."

The Devil stopped, his hand raised and glowing with energy.

"I recovered a letter, ordering the archers to stay where they were and intercept our griffons. It was signed 'O'. Using what little Celestial Force I had left I managed to sneak into Heaven. With a little negative influence, I succeeded in getting a name from that whelp Sariel. For an Angel of Death, he sure can't take a punch."

"Excellent. Now, what is the name."

"Olba Meyer, the High Priest of the Church and Inquisition. I believe they intend to rest the blame for the destruction of the village on your shoulders. This will give the Hero ample cause to kill you, Sire."

"This is just like the Church, out bedeviling the Devil. Very well, continue your push into the territory. How was Heaven, by the way?"

"As beautiful as ever."

"Continue to serve me faithfully, and you can build your own Heaven when all is said and done. However you like it."

"I think I'd keep it as it was," Lucifer said with a smile.

He turned and strode away from the throne.

"Exactly the same as it was," Satan asked.

"Well," Lucifer said with a grin, tilting his head in thought, "I suppose it would look a lot better in black."

With that the doors slammed shut behind Lucifer and the mirror solidified, turning reflective and normal once more. Maou shook with the effort of casting the spell and rolled over, threatening to vomit on the floor.

"Olba," Emi said, her eye's wide and her world spinning underneath her.

"How could he? How could he do this… I thought…"

"I didn't… I didn't kill him… Emi."

Maou reached up a hand, almost touching Emi's cheek. Before he could, his strength failed. Emi straddled Maou before raising a fist and bringing it down onto Maou's jaw. Tear's fell but she appeared irate more than anything. She looked like she would kill Satan right there and then.

"So you didn't kill my father. The atrocities you've committed, that your subordinates committed while serving you are still so fresh in my mind… I could… I should…"

Emi raised the knife. It would take more than one stab to kill the Devil. As a demon, he was naturally stronger, a predator designed with the express intent of hunting humans and even lesser demons. No, the knife would hurt at first. Then, after he'd suffered, he would finally die.

And yet the knife stayed where in hung from her clenched fist. It shook, slightly at first, then more and more violently. Emi's breathing became ragged and harsh.

"What would… you do… for your kind, Emi? I did… what I thought... would save demons… from the Church. The same Church… that has killed millions… more demons than you know of. I… saved… my… people. There are now-"

Maou drew in a shaky breath, blood pooling in the back of his throat from a split inner lip. He swallowed the metallic tasting concoction that made up his human body and pressed on.

"There are now less… demons in Ente Isla than humans… I… I can't undo… the past… but I can change… my future… my life here… with you… and… the group. I want… a fresh start… a new beginning… free of my kind's burden… the burden of being hunted… all our lives…"

"MAOU!"

The knife came down and sank into-

the floor?

It sank right up to the handle into the floor next to Maou's head. The blade had sliced his cheek on its path down, Emi barely managing to change her original course of stabbing him in the eye. Once again, the demon lord was at her mercy and once again she'd spared his life. This was the being that threw the entire world of Ente Isla in chaos… or had he. The truth began to unfold right before her. Emi's life, her training, the Church's structure, the Church's priests. All of it. It was all cunningly done, to make out Satan as the villain. From the moment the Pope had come to claim her and make her the Hero, Emi had just been a tool. A puppet. The thought shook her to her very core. The she saw Maou, prone underneath her, dripping blood onto her carpet, tears still running from the corners of his eyes. His hand's shook and he looked pale compared to the black hair of his head. Emi pulled the knife from the floor and held it to Maou's collar.

"I want to know. The Church, what else have they done? What else are they responsible for?"

"Everything."

 **Hey all, if your actually took the time to read through this, you're awesome! Or maybe just really, really patient. Anyway, this was inspired after I watched the Devil is a Part Timer and I felt compelled to write, which is something I don't often do anymore. Also, it was written about a year or two ago, so yeah, I hope my writing has improved. It's a romance, and it takes up right where the anime left off, so if you feel that Emi and Maou's relationship needed to really move it's ass, here you go, keep reading.**

 **ALSO! A huge thank you too Kokoyoromi of DeviantArt for allowing me to use her art as the cover image! Her art is amazing and her skill with anime styling and anatomy in general is to die for, I only wish I could draw half as well as her. Please check out some of her other stuff at:**


	2. The Devil and the Hero: Compromise

Emi hardly wanted to believe it, but in her heart she knew that Maou was telling the truth. Every time that she had gotten a shallow answer, or vague orders, every time she questioned anything about the Church and its ways suddenly made sense, as if a veil had been lifted. It seemed so obvious when the veil had been removed, but before, she simply couldn't believe that the Church and its highest ranking members were the culprits.

"It's ok… to cry… Emi."

Emi turned her gaze to the King of Demons, stuck underneath her.

"It's not ok… it's not. The Hero can't cry," Emi whispered.

She heard the voices of her countless tutors.

"Get up! Try again! The Hero cannot fail!"

"The Hero is not a loser!"

"The Devil will not hold back!"

"Heroes never cry!"

But albeit all that, even though she had been trained and trained, even though she was mentally tougher than most, she cried. She wept like a child and fell forward onto Maou's chest. She balled a fist and beat it pathetically against him.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

"S-Satan Jacob, I-I will never f-forgive you for the th-things you've done. But… y-you didn't kill my father-r-r. I-It was…"

Emi's tears stopped. The gaping void that was once filled with hate for Maou had momentarily emptied her after she'd learned of Maou's innocence and was suddenly filled once more.

"Olba."

Emi's eyes grew wide as she stared blindly into the face of the slumbering Demon King.

"You will help me find him… Satan. You will lead me to Olba. Then you will both pay for your evils."

Maou woke the early the following morning, so early it was still dark out. He wondered if he could sneak out but then he noticed how terribly groggy he still felt. The amount of celestial force it took to wear him down was severely diminished as he had very little power left to drain before it sapped his vitality.

"Emi."

Maou was suddenly taken by a strange urge. To apologize, to explain. He hadn't realized it when he was the King of Demons, but he had become greedy and power hungry after his army had formed and began to find victory across Ente Isla. He slowly got to his feet, leaning against walls, furniture and anything else that would keep him upright. It wasn't hard to find the only occupied bedroom in the apartment, even with its spaciousness. He was a few feet away when he heard an agonized cry coming from behind the door. Maou silently staggered along, wary of any danger he may face behind the door. Leaning against the door frame, Maou peaked in through the crack between door and its frame.

Emi wept pathetically on the bed, wearing nothing but a shirt and some underwear. She shook with each wail and sob, her eyes red and swollen.

Maou watched, very surprised and confused in his current state. He was very aware of Emi's rather revealing state of undress. Even so, he kept his stupefied gaze upon Emi's face. The pain… her pain… was deep. Maou could taste it using his demonic senses. There was a tendril of fear… fear of failure… fear of pain… there was a vine of sadness. The loss of her father, and a sharp pang of sadness for her Angelic mother's seeming disinterest in Emi. All of her negative emotions were wrapped around a core of irreplaceable loathing and hatred for Satan… Even so, there was something else… something that neither Maou nor Emi could place. It was not hatred, but it almost seemed as if she regarded Satan Jacob and Sadao Maou as two different people. Maou pushed open the door, causing Emi to turn around, her face instantly hardening. Her fists clenched and she trembled, not even realizing she was half nude.

"Maou? What are you doing in here," Emi asked loudly.

"Emi," Maou croaked. His voice broke and he spoke her name again, shuffling closer. He leaned on the door, which swung on its hinges and left Maou with no support. He crumpled to his knees, hunched over and shivering. He gagged and threatened to be sick on the carpet, his world spinning from his quick descent

"Maou!?"

Emi was by Maou's side before even she knew what she was doing. She patted his back, but when he choked and sputtered she delivered a sharp pinch to his side. The pain quickly brought him away from the brink of sickness and he began to calm. The spot where Emi touched him burned, but it filled Maou with complex human feelings and emotions. On a deep and profoundly confusing level, he found he enjoyed the contact.

Emi dragged one of Maou's arms over her shoulders and gripped his waist with the other, helping him stand. They staggered over to Emi's bed and she dropped him slowly onto it. Maou hiccupped but made no attempt to vomit on the bed. Emi sat next to Maou, looking down on him as he lay there, staring up at the dark ceiling.

"Emi. I wanted to tell you…"

"Tell me what?"

Maou's crimson eyes almost seemed to bore into Emi's green eyes.

"I wanted to explain myself… when I became the king of demons… I only wanted what was best for them to start with but… greed gets the best of humans as easily as it does demons it seems. I can't change what I've done but maybe I can atone. I wanted to offer you… a deal."

"A deal with the Devil? What kind of deal?"

"Demons are… powerful, but our power comes from negative emotions. I propose a trade… of sorts. You let me feed off of your… anger… your despair and sadness. I'll drain the pain… you'll feel better. I won't trick you, I swear… I just… this damned Celestial Force got the best of me. This will make me get better faster… please… I can't miss work."

"It wouldn't work. You need the panic of a crowd to regain your power. I don't think you'd be able to take away my pain… could you?"

"Only the strongest of us… demons… could do it. Only the most powerful have the needed precision and willpower. Please Emi… I … can't miss work…"

Tears built at the corners of Maou's eyes, and not for the first time he cursed his weakness, his frail body and his slow mind.

"I don't know…"

"What do you have to lose? I can make you feel better. I can take the pain. I doubt I could do much more than… heal myself with the petty emotions you would feed me. Please…"

Emi didn't know what to say. He was right, of course. The negativity of one person wouldn't be enough to bring back his full power, but Emi's hatred was an inferno before her feelings of fear and despair. He would certainly gain something substantial from it. Then she heard his voice… and with a start she realized something. The Devil was begging for her to help him. He had to work and he couldn't risk missing it because of Emi's failed plans.

"Emilia… please."

She looked down at the broken form before her, the once-great demon king. She noticed the tears forming on his eyes and the look of desperation on his face.

"I… will help you. But if you trick me, Suzuno will know. She will take you down."

"Thank you… so much. I can never repay you."

"No, you can't," Emi whispered to herself.

Maou had Emi prepare for the ritual. She brought out a bunch of little tea candles and lit them, covering every available surface. Next she helped Maou sit up and propped him up against some pillows. Finally, she lit some incense and got Maou something to drink and some crackers. She sat cross-legged across from him as he slowly nibbled away. After he ate and drank his fill he set them off to the side on a little bedside table. He reached out with both hands.

"What?"

"Give me your hands."

"What! Why?"

Maou rolled his eyes as Emi tightly wrapped her arms around herself.

"My powers are weak as it is. Physical contact will allow the spell to work better. Unless you like feeling all that negativity bottled up?"

Emi lowered her hands slowly and allowed Maou to grip them lightly.

"Your hands are so warm."

"Yeah, you may want to wash your hands after this," Maou said with a sinister smile.

"I don't know if what I have is contagious."

Emi pouted and Maou watched as her face turned the color of her hair.

"Just hurry up and get this over with!"

Maou blinked and nodded. He was beyond tired and this would definitely help in his recovery. He bowed his head and closed his eyes.

"Extractum affectibus mulier coram me, et nomen meum potentia!"

Emi heard the chant, not liking the way it sounded. She felt her emotions burn brightly as the magic took effect. Then she felt them slowly work their way down her shoulders from her heart, hot and fiery. They burned through the veins in her arms and flowed out of her fingertips and into Maou. He opened his eyes and continued his chanting. His eyes began to glow and his black shadowy aura appeared. It seemed to be getting steadily darker and thicker. Maou's eyes began to burn like coals in a fire.

"Extractum affectibus mulier coram me, et nomen meum potentia!"

The flow of emotions increased with each syllable. Emi became frightened, her fear being drained away as fast as it was replenished.

"Emi."

She looked up and met Maou's eyes. Even though they bright and glowing, she could see the dark circles under his eyes. She could hear his voice, as human as ever.

"Calm down," Maou whispered, leaning forward. "Your fear is making me strong… like really strong. Try to focus Emi. Give me the stuff you don't want. Give me your anger."

"Anger," Emi muttered.

Emi knew that particular emotion all too well. Her loathing of Satan, her hatred of the church. All of it. She was sick. Sick and tired and she needed a break. Suddenly she became furious and Maou's aura flared, growing larger and larger. The curtains in the room blew in a gentle, yet nonexistent breeze. And then she felt her anger ebb away. She felt it sucked out like poison from a wound. She felt at peace, as if he'd just extracted a tumor from her soul. And while Emi felt at peace, Maou felt powerful. To strengthen the connection Maou laced his fingers through hers. Emi didn't seem to notice as she shoved the emotions she felt onto him.

Her anger was more than he had anticipated. She had a lot bottled up for being so young. He felt the raw, hot anger pour into him like molten lead. He felt the chilling, mind numbing fear. Both of these faded and were replaced by a substantial amount of vitality. He felt strong. He felt confident… he felt ready for work tomorrow!  
"Caulis aestus Hi motus animorum coniunctio discernit!"

The flow and rush of emotions dimmed and finally stopped. Emi and Maou held hands for a moment longer, both breathing heavily and sweating slightly.

"Was it good for you?"

Smack!

A hand print appeared on Maou's face. Emi had let go of Maou with one hand and dragged him closer with the other, using the free hand to land a blow on his face.

 **Hello again, here's another chapter for whoever the hell actually reads these aside from myself. Now, this chapter was rather fun to write, and the ending was probably my favorite scene so far.**


	3. The Devil and the Hero: Sentencing

Maou looked up to find Emi had bright red patches on her cheeks. Even so, she appeared more at ease than before, almost as if she hadn't just tried to kill Maou a few hours ago. And still, they both kept one hand laced through each other's fingers, seemingly afraid to lose the addictive feelings that left them breathless. For Maou, he had felt power. And for Emi, she had felt peace.

"I can't believe I'm doing this… with you!"

"What, holding hands with me, on your bed, breathing as if you just ran a race?"

Emi dropped Maou's hand and he fell back into the pillows, feeling amazing. He had actually accumulated some magic through all this. He had some to spare, on top of being revitalized.

"Maou."

"Yes?"

"Could I ask you to do me a favor?"

"You can ask, but I'll need to know what it is before I commit to anything."

"Can you… oh my god, I can't believe I'm asking you to do this… you're my enemy… but…."

"But what?"

"Could you please… stop by every now and again? I figure this isn't permanent… so if you could stop by and we could… you know… do this."

"Wait, you want me to do this? To come over to your house and hold your hands and-"

"Yes," Emi said loudly. "I don't know why but… I feel like I can trust you. You owe me for giving you my emotions… now you can go to work tomorrow. You said so yourself, you can never repay me… but maybe, just maybe… you could start trying to."

"Ok. I'll do it. But when should we meet?"

Emi though about it quickly, deciding the best course of action.

"I'll call you when I need to have it done again."

"Yeah," Maou said, catching on.

"From there, we can either determine how long transpires between each meeting and schedule accordingly or we can simply come up with an alternative communication and you can call whenever you need me. We could have codenames and-"

"Ok, so you're ok with this? You won't abuse the power you get from this at all?"

"I'll only use what I need to survive. If need be I can spread what I get between Ashiya and Urushihara as well."

"They'll want to know where you got the magic though," Emi replied grimly.

Maou thought about it and then snapped his fingers.

"I'll tell them I got it at work. No, listen! I'll tell them that there was an angry customer and that I stole his emotions to calm him down! I can keep coming up with stuff like that. I'm sure they'll eat it up. Otherwise I can just let it out in other ways. I could grow plants, destroy roadside waste, open Gates for anyone who needs to travel to and from Ente Isla and other menial tasks that will use up a lot of power."

"This… could actually work."

"Don't worry, Emi. Like you said, I owe you, big time. Just say the word and I'm your man."

The way Maou said it was harmless, but it sent butterflies flitting about Emi's stomach. She opened her eyes wide and glanced at him, their eyes meeting for the briefest of moments. His eyes, red and still burning with energy somewhat, her eyes, bright green and brimming with surprise. She quickly looked away and hid her face as it turned several shades of red. The butterflies picked up the pace, swirling around in her stomach with furious gusto.

"How much magic do you have anyway," Emi asked, remembering the identity of her father's murderer and trying to distill the tension.

"Hmm… more than a pittance, less than I need to regain my true form… I'd say that with what I have now, I could probably last for a few months without running out magic."

"Good, then you can help me with one other thing."

Emi knew it was selfish of her to use the Devil's dark powers for her own use but she couldn't help but be impressed with his usefulness. They arrived at the brightly lit, well-guarded detention facility as the sun rose. Upon entering the building, they were asked for the reason of their visit by a man sitting behind the desk in what would be considered the lobby. Maou stood straight and tall and using his hypnosis, commanded the guard to take them to whoever was in charge. They wound their way through the building, passing countless white doors, all of which were thick and had wires embedded in the small glass panes. Every now and again, an inmate would press their faces up against the glass, watching Maou and Emi closely.

They arrived at a door that had the word 'warden' written out in Japanese.

"Thanks for your help, you can return to whatever you were doing, and forget we were ever here."

"No problem. Have a nice day."

The guard strolled off happily, ignoring the looks the inmates gave him.

"You know," Emi said quietly, "now that I'm here."

"Emi, this is important to you, isn't it?"

Maou's eyes bored deep into Emi's.

"Yes," she admitted, breaking the eye contact by turning to look at the door.

"Then why hesitate? This could be one of the most healing things you could do. Perhaps some closure is what you need."

Taking a deep breath, Emi calmed her racing heart. If they were caught, she didn't even want to think about what would happen to Maou and herself.

"Ok, let's go."

Maou smiled and turned the knob, pushing the door open. An older gentleman sat behind a large and obviously antique desk. He had several tarnished awards and plaques hanging on the wall. He also had a few mementos, a picture on the desk of his family, a paddle on the wall with a harsh policy on whining written out along the polished wood.

"Oh, I'm sorry, this is a private office. Am I supposed to be expecting the two of you? My memory isn't quite what it used to be."

"No, no. I only wanted to ask you a favor."

"A favor? Son, the Warden of a large detention facility is probably not the best person to ask for a favor…."

"Have it your way… I, Satan, King of Demons command you to rise and take us to the cell of one Olba Meyer. Grab your keys and anything else you need. You will act convincingly and do your best to avoid suspicion. If anyone asks, you are escorting us to visit our family member."

"Ah, yes, of course. Well, let me grab my keys and we'll be off!"

In the instant Maou was ordering the Warden to obey him, Maou's eyes glowed red and the merest shadow of his aura appeared behind him. As they walked, the Warden spoke to them as if he himself believed the lie.

"So, who is this Olba Meyer to you young people, hmm? Is he your father, or something?"

"Uh, not exactly. He did help raise me, but he wasn't my father," Emi said, hiding her emotions well.

"Oh, I see. Well, it's a good thing you two showed up, we were unsure what we were going to do with him. He's obviously a foreigner, so he can't exactly be held to our laws if the laws wherever he comes from differ from our own. Where did you say you three were from again?"

"We're from-erm- uh"

"Argentina," Emi said abruptly, cutting of Maou's blathering.

"Uh… yeah. Argentina," Maou agreed lamely.

"Ah, ok, that would explain his lack of knowledge about Japanese law. Still, he has yet to go through full processing, seeing as he's foreign."

They arrived at a white door in a hall where a few of the bright fluorescent lights were burnt out, making the corridor slightly darker. Even so, the lights in the rooms worked fine. Not that Emi needed the light, both she and Maou could sense the faint Celestial Force resonating from the cell.

"This is it," said the Warden brightly.

"So it is."

The Warden unlocked the door and gestured for Maou and Emi to enter.

"On second thought," Maou said, "give Emi the keys, then you can leave. We'll leave them by the front desk."

"But-"

Maou's eyes flared brightly.

"Ok, sure thing."

He handed Emi the keys then strolled away, whistling.

"Are you ready, Emi?"

She only nodded in response, not trusting herself to speak. Maou grasped the door handle and pulled, the heavy door swinging open noisily on unoiled hinges.

"Olba."

He looked rather pale and thin, though his muscles seemed to be either bigger, or just more pronounced. His thick moustache was now overgrown and he had a beard with it. His head, however, remained devoid of hair. He sat on his bed and looked up at Emi with a flat gaze.

"Emilia. How did I know you'd show up here?"

"You know why I'm here, Olba."

"Oh, I see you have the Devil with you… I suppose you've found the truth about your father?"

"Yes, I do know… you killed him!"

Emi's anger, small and meager as it was, boiled over and she manifested the Evolving Holy Sword 'Better Half'. Before she could land a strike upon Olba, who cowed against the wall that his bed met, Emi's arm was suddenly in a firm yet gentle grip. Maou had stopped the blow. Emi turned to look at Maou, her eyes red and strangely calm.

"Why did you stop me, Maou," Emi asked, dangerously quiet.

"Because, when you said that Olba killed your father, he looked confused. There's more to this than we know."

"Yes! Yes, I have information about your father! If you let me live, a trade of sorts… a deal," Olba begged pathetically.

"How do I know I can trust anything you say?"

"You would take the Devil's word, without a second thought, but not mine?"

"The Devil has never, ever lied to me. I know that he tells the truth and that so long as his interests are kept in check, he can actually be a very good and kind person."

Olba was quiet, not trusting himself to misstep and cause Emi to attack again.

"Olba, what happened all those years ago? Why would knights of the Church lay waste to an innocent village? Why did they ambush my forces instead of evacuating the people?"

"So not even the Devil knows… I thought of all people, you would be aware of the situation, given that the knowledge would give you such a great bargaining chip with the Hero."

"I was… preoccupied with other things, the Hero had not yet been confirmed to be alive until it was too late."

"Stop toying with us Olba! Tell me, what happened to my father!"

Emi interrupted the conversation between Maou and OIba, wanting to know the truth, whatever it may be.

"Your father… is alive."

Emi blanched, swayed and then fell towards the floor, dumbstruck by the information. Maou caught her and brought her back to her feet, supporting her until she came to terms with Olba's revelation.

"You ok, Emi," Maou asked delicately.

Olba couldn't help but laugh as the Devil helped the Hero stay on her feet and asked after her welfare.

"What's so funny," Emi asked, starting to regret not finishing off Olba in the first place.

"It's just, the two of you! The Devil and the Hero, working together! The Devil himself, asking about your wellbeing!"

"Yeah, what of it?"

"Oh, it's just so… pathetic. Really Emilia, I thought you'd know better than to ally yourself with a deceitful demon, but the Devil himself? You truly are a fool."

Olba struck at Emi, his remaining Celestial Force all gathered into his fist for one final blow. But before he could make contact there was a blur of black and suddenly Maou was in the way, his eyes glowing brightly as the light seemed to fade from the room.

"You Church lackeys are all the same."

Maou's voice was deep and evil; it was the voice of the Demon King. Olba stood with his fist, glowing with Celestial Force, pressed against a barrier. Olba flew back and hit the wall, but he stayed where he hit, held in place by some unseen force. Maou began to take slow steps forward.

"I can feel it, you know. That fear at the back of your mind? Yeah, I can taste it. And it's swelling quite nicely. I'll gorge upon your terror, Olba Meyer. I will leave you to be nothing but an empty husk."

"Maou."

The Devil looked around to find Emi looking at him. The look in her eyes said she was all for letting Olba get what was coming to him, but there was something else that needed taking care of, first.

"Olba!"

"Urghh…"

"What other information do you have? Where is my father?"

"I… don't… know… the Church… lost… him…both parents…disappeared."

"He isn't lying," Maou chimed in, his voice still filled with dark regal power that fitted his station as Demon King.

"Then… I have no further use for him. Do as you will, Satan."

"No! Please!"

"Finally, breakfast!"

"NOOO!"

 **Back again, just posting this chapter before I work on some other junk. Lots of fun with this one too, as I like to sort of play with the powers of the characters. Also, Maou's hypnosis thing is highly reminiscent of Lelouch's Geass. Very nice.**

 ***SPOILER ALERT***

 **Another thing, I don't know if anyone who reads this has actually rad the light novel, but I believe Emi's father is revealed to be alive in the later chapters, which I sort of disregarded to write this because I and several other fans are fed up with the lack of Emi and Maou romance.**


	4. The Devil and the Hero: The Devil's Day

Emi and Maou dropped the keys off by the front desk, the guard from before nowhere to be found. They had begun walking to the subway station when Maou noticed Emi's rather faraway look, as if she were somewhere else at the moment.

"Is something wrong?"

"I- no. Nothing's wrong."

Maou leaned in, closer than he ought to have considering all things.

"You're lying," he whispered in Emi's ear.

She could feel the heat of his breath on her neck and it made her shiver, even in the early morning heat. Emi looked up at Maou, her face a blank mask.

"I'm not sure I did the right thing in there…"

"You didn't do anything."

"But I-"

"Emi, look at it this way, Olba may not have killed your father, but think of all the people he _has_ killed. Both humans and demons. Look at the way he strung Urushihara along like some kind of puppet. I've heard about Olba from him, I've heard the honeyed lies, the bittersweet falsehoods. All things considered, even the Church wouldn't have taken him back if he returned to Ente Isla. If you really want to know what I think, I'd say you did him a favor."

"A favor? So having Satan Jacob suck out all of his emotions was a good thing, then?"

Even though they were walking along in public, the streets were very empty at this time of day, especially in that particular part of the city. Still, Emi sounded slightly hysterical and Maou didn't want her to start yelling about their true identities.

"Think, Emi! Do you think Olba would have left us alone if we left him there until he was released? No, he would come after you, you'd kick his ass, maybe even kill the poor guy! We'd toss him through a gate and he'd have been ripped apart by either the Church or the Demon Army. What I did was serve him justice. And besides, it's not as if his emotions won't regrow, it'll just take a little bit. Who knows, maybe without the greed or the lust for power, he'll have some time to think about what he really wants from life."

"I suppose you have a point-"

"Thank you."

"-but so does my Holy Sword, and if you ever come that close to me again without first obtaining permission, I will cut you!"

"Better to ask forgiveness than permission."

They rode the train back towards their homes, Emi's stop rapidly approaching.

"So, what now, any other adventures planned for today?"

"No, just work, you?"

"Same."

Silence permeated the train car once more, aside from the sound of it grating against the track.

"Hey, Emi?"

"Hmm?"

"I was wondering… we're sort of having a…gathering I guess. Suzuno and Chiho are all coming over to the Devil's Castle. We're gonna have soda and snacks and a nice dinner. I was just wondering if maybe you wanted to come by and-uh- hang out, I guess?"

"I'd like to see Suzuno and Chiho again… do you have a date and time set?"

"Not yet, they wanted to know if you were coming and I said I'd ask."

"Why couldn't they just text me?"

"Well, Chiho's been working a lot of overtime, and Suzuno is… well, she's Suzuno."

"I see your point. Well, I have tomorrow off, if that sounds good to you and the rest."

"Alright, I'll let them know."

They rode in silence once again and it remained unbroken until they arrived at Emi's stop.

"Well, uh, I'll see you later I guess."

"Yeah… I'll see you around, Maou. I'll call you when I need your… assistance again."

Emi left Maou standing on the train, barely aware of her abrupt and relatively normal exit. No yelling, no blaming, no festering hatred. Just a calm and clean good-bye. Maou sighed and leaned against the pole of the train as it pulled away from the stop. Maybe there was a chance, a slim chance, that Maou and Emi could actually have positive feelings for one another. A small smile crossed his face. He had eaten very well in the past 24 hours, more than he had for some time. The emotions and feelings he had gorged upon made him brim with magical energy. He actually had to expend some just so that he wouldn't assume his true form there on the bus. His eyes glowed and he had a cloud of sorts hanging over him that no one else could quite place. When he exited the train and left the station, the morning sun had been obscured by thick clouds. As Maou walked he found himself thinking about yesterday, when Emi had given him the umbrella. She had seemed so… happy? Yes, that was the word. Even in his presence, she was able to feel happiness.

"She gave me an umbrella," Maou thought aloud to himself. He looked down at the umbrella he held clutched in his hand. Without realizing it, he suddenly felt very attached to it. The umbrella was, after all, a token of thanks from the Hero. It was a solid reminder, physical proof that he and the Hero could co-exist. Maou was more than ready to live in the same world as the Hero, provided she stopped stalking him.

"I'm home, Ashiya!"

"MASTER!"

"Oh, you're back, can we eat now?"

"Good Sadao, we were all rather worried. It is good that you have returned."

"Ashiya, Urishihara, Suzuno, I'm fine. I spent the night at Emi's-"

"The Hero's apartment? Why?!"

"Ashiya, calm down."

"Forgive me, my lord, but it is my duty to be concerned for your welfare."

Ashiya was hard at work cooking, as was his habit when he was anxious. Urushihara was seated at his little desk and Suzuno was seated at the table, allowing Ashiya to fix her a meal in return for all of the cooking and food she had provided them with.

"It's fine Ashiya, Emilia was a-"

Maou thought back to last night, the memories rather blurred and vague. The one thing he remembered clearly was Emi's face. Whether she was kneeled over him holding a knife, or facing him on the bed, their hands intertwined, Maou could see her face more clearly than any other detail.

"-a great host," Maou finished quietly.

"Well, I'm glad you survived sire. Emilia's temper must be cooling off somewhat."

"Yeah. I guess so."

"Hey, can we eat already?"

"Urushihara!"

"What? I'm hungry!"

"Guys," Maou muttered, clutching at his sore head.

"All I'm saying is that you could be a little more grateful!"

"Guys…"

"For what?! Being treated like garbage and ordered around all the time?"

"Guys!"

Urishihara and Ashiya stopped and looked at Maou, whose great power permeated the room in seconds and left everyone speechless… except for Suzuno of course.

"Satan, unleash your evil powers when there are not guests over please, I'd almost rather have to fight you while you strip again."

"Sorry, I'll try and tone it down. I just have a bad headache and I have to go to work in-"

Maou checked his phone and groaned loudly.

"Less than an hour."

"I packed you a lunch, your constant consumption of MgRonalds is not healthy, Sire," Ashiya snipped.

"I agree, unfortunately, it is beginning to show on good Urushihara," Suzuno chimed in, looking at Urushihara's figure.

"Hey, are you saying that I'm fat?!"

"Not yet, but if your diet is not adjusted to your current lifestyle-"

"My lifestyle and my diet are both my choice, and I don't need some Church lapdog's opinion-"

"Urushihara, Suzuno is concerned for your health, be thankful someone even cares," Maou said, rubbing his cranium and wishing the headache would stop.

Maou used a little magic and healed his headache. It didn't go away completely, but now it didn't hurt quite so much. He fell onto his placemat by the table and Ashiya put a cup of tea in front of him. It was bitter, but Ashiya had put in a little honey to make it more bearable. Soon he was completely relaxed and Ashiya put down a light breakfast for him.

"Thanks, Ashiya, you've really outdone yourself."

"My Lord, it is nothing compared to what you do day in and day out to keep this Castle functioning properly."

Maou scarfed it down eagerly. Even though he had plenty of magic, it was no substitute for real food, and if he didn't eat his body would start to drain the magic to keep his organs running.

"I swear, I will have words with the Hero about starving my King."

"She didn't starve me, she actually fed me a lot, I just couldn't handle the Celestial Force in her apartment. It was a nightmare."

"Yes, well some good, normal food seems to have done the trick, you look better already, sire."

"I do?"

"Oh, yes. You seem to have a certain glow about you. Your powers seem more pronounced now than I've seen since your battle with Sariel."

"Oh, yeah, that. I actually had an angry customer come in yesterday. I had to siphon his anger to stop him from attacking one of my co-workers. Anyway, I have a little magic now."

"My Lord, if I may, why not just use this all the time?"

"If I began to steal people's emotions with absolutely no reason, do you think the Hero would let me live?"

"No, she wouldn't," interjected Suzuno, "and nor would I. I promised to spare you and give you a chance, provided you continued to place your friendship above your ambitions to take over this world."

"See, Ashiya? There's no way I'd get away with that. But I figure seeing as I took a man's anger and prevented someone from getting hurt in the process, that merits a pass from the Hero and the Bailiff of the Inquisition. Right Suzuno?"

"That's correct, good Sadao. Had you taken that man's rage for your own gain, you would not be here to tell of it, I assure you."

"You think to threaten the King of Demons? In his own-"

"That was no threat, good Ashiya. That was a promise. Now, Maou, shouldn't you be getting along to work?"

"Geez, you're so pushy. What, do you want some alone time with your two demon boyfriends or something?"

Suzuno blushed and made an outraged face. The next thing Maou knew, he was being forced out of his own apartment by Crestia Bell, the Death Scythe.

"GO TO WORK!"

The door slammed shut behind him and Maou was left outside, dumbstruck.

"My lord."

A crack appeared in the door and a plastic bag filled with lunch was handed through by Ashiya, whom it seemed had received permission from Suzuno to hand the Devil his lunch.

"Thanks Ashiya. When I get home I want that clergywoman out of my Castle!"

"Yes, sire! I shall not fail you!"

Maou slowly walked down the steps and looked over towards where Dullahan was once parked. Angling his voice towards the open window to his apartment, he shouted "And you still owe me a new bike, Suzuno!"

"Hmph!"

The window was slammed shut and Maou smiled. Even though they were mean to each other, Maou still thought of Suzuno as a good friend and neighbor. After all, without her mercy, Maou would never have been able to defeat Sariel and mount a rescue for the Hero and Chiho. Crestia Bell's steadfast defense of her morals and her unwillingness to serve as the Church's butcher had made her a valuable ally to Maou, and a strong link between himself and Emi.

"Well, I suppose I'd best get a move on, or I'll be late."

Maou arrived half an hour later to find Chiho waiting for him. She was glancing at her watch and scanning the back alley behind MgRonalds for any sign of Maou the Shift Manager. When he emerged from behind a dumpster without even the slightest noise and called Chiho's name, she shrieked and almost fell backwards into a pile of garbage. Maou darted forward and caught her wrist before she could land. Those work uniforms were spendy, and she would have to run home and change if she'd fallen into the garbage. Instead, Maou pulled her away from the heap and she fell forward into his arms.

"Thanks Mr. Maou," Chiho said, tingling all over at Maou's touch.

"No problem, Chi. We'd better get ready, you know how first shift is when we come in even a second after the end of their shift."

"Yeah, they are kinda moody about that, but who can blame them? I hate it when I get stuck in here for an extra 5 minutes after my shift ends."

"Well, let me change, then meet the crew in the break room for the pre-shift meeting."

After Maou had changed and given one of his awe-inspiring pep talks, he set to work, taking orders, helping the less experienced, and generally keeping the restaurant afloat. He had everything under control but Ms. Kisaki still came in and took over command, leaving Maou free to help the crew even more while Kisaki managed the overall picture. It was in times like these, when everything ran smoothly and Maou was able to help customers that he felt happy. He was able to help the trainees to develop new skills while simultaneously taking orders, helping in the kitchens, and waiting on customers.

"Alright, Maou, good shift today, have a good weekend, ok?"

"Thanks Ms. Kisaki, I will. I'll see you Monday."

Maou sprinted off into the late evening. His apartment was not in a very friendly neighborhood and even though Lucifer had stopped stirring up trouble, there was still the mortals themselves to contend with.

"Where are you off too in such a hurry?"

Maou's path was suddenly blocked by a tall man in an overcoat.

"Just on my way back from work," Maou said with a nervous smile on his face.

"Well, that's good. Now, hand over your valuables and your wallet, I don't want to hurt you."

The tall man pulled a baseball bat from beneath his long coat. Maou smiled. He sensed the man's fear, the fear that Maou may be stronger than he looked, the fear that the man may have to do something terrible in order to get away with the mugging.

"Tell, you what, your wife and kids don't know you're doing this, so I'll cut you some slack."

"What did you say," the man whispered, taking a step back, "how do you know about-"

"I know everything about you, Mr. Shinoto. I think that what you're doing is actually pretty cool too, the money you plan to steal will go towards food, right? I tell you what, you put away the baseball bat, I'll buy you some groceries, enough to last you a couple weeks. In that time I want you to fill out some job applications and find a more honest source of income. Do we have a deal?"

"You won't tell anyone? About how I tried to…you know, mug you?"

"No, but like I said, after I buy you groceries, I want you to get some job applications, even if you have to apply at MgRonalds or something."

"Ok… but if you try anything, I'll-"

"What? Hit me with your baseball bat? I really don't think your son wants to know about what you do with his bat, do you?"

"No."

"Alright then, let's go, I have to be home in a little while or else people will worry."

Maou walked with the man through the grocery store and spoke with him, giving him some pointers about what not to buy and what would be necessary. Mr. Shinoto seemed to have been struck by Maou's generosity, thanking him profusely at the checkout and blinking tears out of his eyes as he waved goodbye. Maou waved back, walking off into the night, practically broke but very self-assured. When he'd taken over Ente Isla, he'd only wanted to help the demons of the world become a single nation, and to have the freedom of humans. Now he was able to help humans, though he had no idea how he would explain his lack of funds to Ashiya.

"I'm back," Maou whispered, kicking off his shoes and heading for the bathroom. After a quick shower he cracked a window to get rid of the stale air and laid down next to Ashiya on the floor. He thought about that morning and how Emi had given him power, knowing what he might have done with it.

"Emi," Maou breathed. He said it without being completely sure how he felt about the name. Did he enjoy Emi's presence? Was she his friend? What would happen now? Almost as if in answer, Maou's phone began to vibrate. He looked at the caller I.D. to find a vaguely familiar phone number with the name 'Yusa, Emi' above it. Maou's eyebrows knit together. Why was she calling so late? Getting up and doing his utmost not to fall on Ashiya and wake both him and Urushihara, Moau entered the hallway and sat with his back against the door to the apartment.

"Hello," Maou asked tiredly.

"Maou? It's Emi."

 **Here's another chapter. It's very dialogue heavy, but I read through it myself to make sure its readable at the very least. Interesting? Maybe not. Plot driven? No way in hell, but it's comprehensible English, so I guess that's a gold star to me.**


	5. The Devil and the Hero: Conversation

"I know, why are you calling so late? Is everything alright?"

"I-uh-yeah. I just wanted to say… to say thank you. I've been thinking and I guess I really needed some closure. What you did to Olba was the best thing we could have done."

"Oh, ok. Well, I'm glad you're feeling better."

"Don't interrupt me!"

"Yes, ma'am."

"That's better. Anyway, I also wanted to tell you… sorry."

The word came out quiet, as if she could barely stomach the taste of it. Maou suddenly felt his tiredness fall away as he realized what just happened.

"Emi…"

"Yes," she sounded breathless, as if she couldn't believe what she'd just done either.

"What are you sorry for? You had every reason to hate me. If you had killed my father, I'd hate you too."

"But now that I know the truth…"

"I understand. I'm glad we were able to work together on this, you know? Figuring out the truth, dishing out justice where it's needed."

"Yeah…"

"And Emi?"

"Hmm, what is it?"

"I should apologize too, I know that Lucifer, Alciel and I haven't made things easy on you since we came here."

"True enough, but with all that's happened… let's just call it even, ok?"

"Sure thing," Maou smiled and slouched down against the door. Out the window of the porch, he could make out a few stars in the sky.

"Anyway, it's getting late. I'll see you tomorrow."

"No, it's actually early morning, you'll see me later today."

"Oh, God," Emi joked, yawning to punctuate the statement.

"Haha, it'll be nice to see everyone together again. We'll all be here around three-ish. Sound good?"

"Hmm, oh, yeah."

"What are you doing?"

"Hmm?"

"Why does it sound like you're falling asleep?"

"Because I'm tired… idiot."

"Well, in that case, I apologize for calling so late in the evening, I didn't realize we were so close we could fall asleep talking to each other on the phone," Maou mocked, knowing full well that Emi had called him.

"Shut up."

"It was nice talking to you too."

"Geez, I can't even talk on the phone without you antagonizing me," Emi complained, stretching as she lay on her bed.

"It's my job," Maou said tiredly.

"Yeah."

A long pause followed, leaving both pondering what they could possibly say to each other. In the end, they both settled with ending the conversation.

"Well, good night, Emi."

"Night, Maou, see you later."

"Bye."

"Buh-bye."

Maou hung up and looked out the window, his eyes far off as the stars were reflected in his gaze. The Hero had forgiven him… and asked for his forgiveness in return. A darker side of Maou knew that he could now easily take advantage of the Emi's trust, he could betray her and conquer the world. He could stockpile power until he was at his peak and use it to wash away the Hero and any who would oppose him. But why? Why should he? The fact that the Hero had forgiven him was astounding. Now that they had gone from mortal enemies to neutral parties, could there be more? Could they be friends? Maou felt a tugging in his gut as he thought of Emi. A strange pang of human emotion he couldn't comprehend, and in his heart he knew that when it came right down to it, he would never betray Emi. Never. After gazing at the stars and thinking about his human emotions for a time he stood and went back inside.

"My Lord, who was on the phone?"

"Emi."

"The Hero?"

"Yeah."

"What did she want? If she was bothering you to keep you from sleeping I'll have a talk with her-"

"No, she was just-uh-confirming that we're still getting everyone together today."

"That's all, sire?"

"Well, she also said that she was sorry for calling late. Honestly, Ashiya, you sound like my mother."

"It's my duty-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, good night, Ashiya."

"Goodnight, m'lord."

Maou fell asleep, and in his dreams a red haired woman danced before him. She was clad in what appeared to be a belly dancers dress with rips up the side to expose her long slender legs. Her blouse was see through with a white wrap obscuring her more feminine parts. She swung her hips and throbbed her bosom with the beat of the unheard music. When her eyes met Maou's, he woke in a cold sweat, his heart racing and his body shivering.

"Emi," Maou whispered to the darkness that surrounded him.

The following morning, Ashiya woke to find his King already awake and sitting at the table with a cup of strong tea cradled in his hands. Ashiya couldn't help but remember when Maou had just proclaimed himself to be the Demon King. He had often risen from his chambers and strode about his study, almost as if he had forgotten something important. In truth, his nerves had been on edge, as he was only then building his army for the assault on Enta Isla, and one wrong move would have catastrophic consequences.

"Is everything alright, sire?"

"Yes, Ashiya, thank you for asking," Maou replied, his voice little more than a hushed whisper and he didn't even look up to speak to his subordinate.

"Sire, I am most concerned for your health."

"Yeah, what's going on, man?"

Urushihara had deigned to join them, emerging from the closet.

"Oh, you're awake," Maou sighed, feigning interest.

"Surprisingly. I found it hard to sleep, I could hear you talking to Emi on the phone. These walls are super thin, you may want to think about that next time you have an intimate conversation."

"Intimate conversation? What is talking about, sire? Surely not about the Hero-"

"Her name," Maou said quietly, "is Emi."

"Er, right my lord, it's just-"

"Just that you've been acting weird. Even I'll admit that you not being here to support us would totally suck," Urushihara chimed in.

"Well, as much as I appreciate your concern, there's nothing wrong, in fact, things couldn't be better."

"So the Hero-"

"Emi."

"Right, she is… um… no longer hostile," Ashiya asked hesitantly.

"Not anymore, but we've actually been investigating some things. It turns out I'm not all the monster she thought I was. As such, she's decided to cut me some slack and we're now just sort of… indifferent towards one another."

"Sire, if the Hero no longer is in a constant state of distrust towards us, we could easily enact a plan to-"

"To what, Ashiya? To betray the Hero? To lure her into a false sense of security? No, I've thought of this, it won't work. She has Suzuno and the Church. But there is something else we can do…"

"And what's that," Urushihara said, his chin resting on the table, having fully emerged from his fortress of solitude.

"I want to befriend Emi. I want us to get her on our side," Maou announced.

"But there is no way she would join our cause," Ashiya said quickly, stating the obvious.

"No, I don't want her to fight against her own kind, I want her to know about the problems we Demons face and help to fix them. Ashiya, you know what it was like before we united the demons, there was chaos and disorder and we never even had an actual language. After we began to use magic and we learned to speak, everything changed! A goblin class demon became a King among demons and he, together with his four trusted generals ushered in an age of prosperity and unity for the demons. We created a culture, a society, out of several separate wandering tribes! We did great things together, and I think that if we could show that to Emi and get her to see the progress demonkind has made since the days of old, she might be willing to go to the Church with our demands."

"But Emi in nothing more than a pawn to the high members of the Church," Urushihara stated blankly.

"Maybe not, but she holds a great sway in the hearts of the humans. She could easily unite the populace of Ente Isla against the Church. She is the Hero after all. She is destined to stop Satan, Ruler of Demons and end the war. But what if stopping me doesn't mean defeat, but an accord? What if Emilia the Hero was destined to be the one who saves humankind by asking them to join societies with demonkind and, together, advance more than either could separately?"

Tears came to Ashiya's eyes and he knelt before his lord.

"Even after all this time, my lord? Even now, with Ente Isla feeling farther away than it ever has, you still have love for the ones whom supported your rise to power."

"Always, Ashiya, I will always have love for them. I will always want what is best for my kin, even if I cannot be with them."

"Then I support whatever it is you plan to do sire, and I wish you luck in convincing Emi. Speaking of whom, today is the day everyone is gathering, correct?"

"Yeah, I was going to get up early and go to the store and grab some stuff, you know, soda, treats, things like that, but I was sorta mugged on the way home last night."

"How much did they take?"

"None," Maou said defensively.

"Then what is the issue," Ashiya demanded, sensing a disturbance in the finances.

"Well, I spent all the cash I had on me on groceries for the guy. He had kids and I told him to get a job."

"So you wasted valuable resources on a mugger? Why didn't you simply destroy him, you have the magic," Urushihara said lazily, turning back to the computer.

"No, if we are to live in peace with humans, we must first learn to exercise restraint and mercy. After all, as the superior beings-"

"No, no, no, Ashiya, we can't think of them as inferior, the humans will despise us for it, even if it were the truth. No, we must acknowledge the fact that here, we are barely above the normal humans with our limited magic supplies and we must be responsible and careful of anything that happens, otherwise we will be held accountable by Emi and Suzuno. Think of this as a test, they will be monitoring us very carefully, and if we don't slip up, we may earn the trust and support of the human race."

"I see, sire. You intend to completely merge with the humans, but is that wise? After all the bloodshed…."

"Bloodshed or no, we demons can't afford to revert back into our old ways, we must keep moving forward. As I said when we first arrived, the fact that we have reverted to human form upon our arrival makes me believe we may only be human at our most fundamental core. Demons and humans may be made from the same cores and simply have different exteriors. Who knows, perhaps someday, after we demons have shed our rough exteriors, our kind and the humans could even interbreed."

"That would be rather hazardous, don't you think?"

"Urushihara? What do you mean?"

"Think, if Emilia the Hero is born from an angel and a human, what do you think a human-demon hybrid would be capable of?"

"Yes, well, that is all riding upon us being model demons and showing Emi our best side. Remember, she is the one we need to convince, so try to be nice, ok?"

"I'm always nice, it's everyone else who's a jerk to me."

Maou drank his tea, thankful to be talking and thinking about something other than Emi and his wide range of emotions toward her. Meanwhile, Ashiya began digging in the knife drawer.

"What are you doing Ashiya, you're not still upset about the cash, right?"

"While I am displeased with your actions, I suppose it couldn't be helped. I will withdraw from my personal stash of emergency money to provide snacks and beverages for the party today, seeing as it is a step that will hopefully bring us closer to the humans."

"Where's this coming from?"

"Well, we paid off the trackers, but then I was able to return the smashed remains and the one from Suzuno's sandals. I got a seventy-five percent refund and I used the money to start an emergency fund separate from the 'preventing-the-King-of-demons-from-looking-like-a-transient-bum-fund.'"

"As much as that stung, I'm glad you set aside that money."

"Of course, and I do hope you'll talk to Suzuno about getting her to finance a new mode of transportation. Dulluhan will be missed, but we cannot afford not to get a replacement."

"You bet, I was planning on asking her about it today, hoping that the party would put her in a better mood."

Maou set to work straightening up while Ashiya left for the nearest store.

"Urushihara, you should help. We need to pick up this mess."

"Why should I help?"

"Because," Maou growled, "most of this mess is yours."

"Oh."

"Ugh. At least pick up your garbage from around the computer, ok? I think I can take care of the rest of it."

Maou spent the rest of the afternoon before the party both cleaning and motivating Urushihara, who became so frustrated that he slunk back into his closet and hid there. Ashiya returned as Mao finished picking up.

"Sire, I've returned."

"Good, no one's here yet."

Maou and Ashiya unpacked everything, which turned out to be quite a bit.

"Good haul, Ashiya. I think we'll be set for some time, I can even take some to work."

"My thoughts exactly, sire, I know the sugar will keep you on your feet during a tough shift."

A knock on the door punctuated that thought. Maou checked his phone. It was three on the dot meaning that the person behind the door was-

"Suzuno."

Maou opened the door and smiled, letting Suzuno slip past him. She kicked off her sandals and sat herself at the table, carrying a large covered platter.

 **Another chapter in this fanfic... sad to say I'm starting to lose track of it, and my motivation is running dry, let's hope I can recover it.**


	6. The Devil and the Hero: Truce

"What's this," Maou asked, leaning in so he could get a look at the platter.

"I figured I'd bring something to contribute to the festivities," Suzuno said happily.

She removed the lid and they beheld a myriad of food, all poked through with toothpicks so that the partygoers could grab one and mill about, talking and having fun. Not that there was really anywhere to go in the six tatami apartment, but it certainly made the atmosphere more cheery and exotic.

"Woah, this looks amazing Suzuno!"

Urishihara looked at the small mountain of finely decorated finger food and fell to his knees, begging to sample one of each before the party started and thanking Suzuno profusely for good, fresh food.

"It was nothing," she said, brushing her hair out of her eyes and blushing furiously.

"You will wait for the other guests to arrive before you can eat, as will everyone else, because they are polite and well mannered," Ashiya chided.

"So, Suzuno, anything happening worth knowing about?"

Now that Maou and Suzuno were friends, Maou often asked about information regarding Ente Isla and its inhabitants while he was absent. While she refrained from handing over important information to Maou, she still sated his appetite for news.

"Well, nothing major has happened since we last spoke, but the tension between nations is still there. And I think they have finally decided to simply let your castle stand for the time being. They want desperately to destroy it, but they can't seem to bring the castle down."

"Pfft. Of course they can't take it down. That castle was there before I found it, it's ancient!"

"What," Suzuno demanded, struck by the news.

"Yeah! That castle has always been there on the central continent. I don't know anything about its origins myself, but when we made base, I could most definitely feel some kind of power in its walls."

"Hmm. Perhaps the Church shall receive an anonymous tip about the castle's mysterious origins and they'll stop trying to destroy it."

"I don't see any harm in that. And as it's been suited for my use, I'd bet the Church could find no possible use for it."

"Well, some of the Church's associates are certainly evil enough to be able to survive in your castle."

"Of that, I have no doubt. Still, the castle is a part of ancient culture and architecture, they can't just destroy that!"

"It didn't stop them from trying," Suzuno said darkly.

"I suppose it wouldn't. They would at least want to seem like they were on the good side, though. If enough people knew it was a landmark and not just the Devil's Castle, they might spare it."

"That settles it," Suzuno said happily, "I'll send a report and my agents will sow the seeds of rumor. Within a month, the whole of Ente Isla will be clamoring to keep the castle and have it studied."

"Hang on, you have agents," Maou gasped.

"Well, of course, I can't do the things I do on my own."

"But I thought you were the bottom link of the chain of command for the Inquisition," Ashiya said, flabbergasted.

"No, there are those who work under me, in positions that barely even hold any sway within the Inquisition. They collect data, monitor populations and things like that. How do you think the Church stays in control, or always seems to make just the right move to get public approval?"

"Now that I think about it that makes sense. Ashiya, make note of this! When we return, we will need some civilian demons to pledge themselves to our cause and give us information as to the general populace's feelings on our armies' cause."

"I think that's an excellent idea, Sire."

"I think it blows," Urushihara sighed, looking longingly at the finger food.

"Coming from the guy whose army was wiped out all because of his poor leadership skills, I'd say your opinion is void here, Urushihara."

It was Emi, standing outside the apartment, the door of which was still open from Suzuno's arrival. Maou cricked his neck from how quickly he turned to look at Emi. She wore a brightly colored summer dress and a bright tank top, with a pair of leggings and slip on shoes. Maou even thought he saw a hint of make-up, a strange and rare occurrence for Emilia the Hero. Maou decided it would be best if he said nothing about it, but Urushihara, whose pride had been hurt, was itching for revenge.

"My army only fell because you're face scared them to death. And Emi, the make-up isn't helping matters. I feel sick just looking at you."

Maou, Ashiya and Suzuno all felt cold chills run down their spines at the look Emi shot at Urushihara. For a moment, she clenched a fist and a thin, hazy outline of a sword appeared in her hand.

"Emi."

She looked for the voice to find Maou looking meaningfully at her. His eyebrows were scrunched, but his mouth had a lopsided, twisted smile. He had a look of devilish charm about him that caused Emi to gulp and blush a little before she stepped inside and kicked off her shoes. She dropped herself gracefully onto a pillow next to Urushihara, then proceeded to punch him off of his.

"Hey," he shouted indignantly, "didn't you guys see that?"

If they did, they did not make it known, because no one said a thing. Emi turned to Suzuno and struck up a conversation to keep things going.

"So, Suzuno, how have these Demons been acting lately, all good on your front?"

"Oh, yes, I suppose they've been alright, though I should tell you, good Sadao seems to have gained an inordinate amount of power recently, from work, he claims. Not that he's been doing anything wrong with it, but the thought of evil has crossed Ashiya's mind. Oh, and Sadao made the most outlandish accusations about me having two demonic boyfriends. If I hadn't grasped the humor in his statement, I'd have crushed him then and there," Suzuno said happily as she sipped at a can of soda.

"Yes, I think the King of Demons could do with a good crushing," Emi said, glancing at Maou and giving him a smirk.

"Wow," Urushihara said, "after the deep conversation you two had last night, I thought you would be a lot nicer to Maou. Never thought you'd turn on him so easily."

"You told him," Emi asked Maou indignantly.

"No! He heard me through the walls when he was hiding in the closet. I didn't say anything," Maou said, holding up his hands.

Emi's brow furrowed and her eye twitched as she glared at Lucifer, who ducked beneath the table so that Emi couldn't hit him again. Still, Emi aimed a sharp kick at him from under the table and the assembled heard a thud and a yelp from Urushihara.

"That's what happens when you talk too much," said a voice from the door.

It was Chiho, looking freshly cleaned and changed after a long shift at work. When she kicked off her shoes and came in, sitting between Emi and Suzuno, she sighed as her legs folded, sore and tired as they were from a day of standing at the register. Now that they were all there, the majority of Ente Isla's immigrants, it felt like a true gathering. Everyone dug into the snack cakes and the treats, along with the fine assortment of finger foods Crestia Bell had prepared. They sat around the table and talked for a time, relaxing after rather long and dull days of working, housekeeping and other menial tasks required for living. It was odd, seeing Emi and Maou commiserate about their work hours, and it was strange hearing Suzuno and Ashiya talk about cleaning and general responsibilities as the heads of their houses. Even Lucifer and Chiho talked, though that might have been because Chiho was the only one willing to talk with him at that point. Urushihara absolutely loved technology, and Chiho was subscribed to a tech magazine, so she let Urushihara use her tablet to view the magazine she had.

"I never would have guessed that Urushihara and Chi would get along so well," Maou observed, sitting against the wall by Emi.

Together they watched as the partygoers became somewhat loud and rambunctious, but it was the weekend, time to rest relax and recuperate. Ashiya and Suzuno were having a cooking competition, both using the same ingredients to make different dishes. Chiho and Urushihara were now comparing the specs of the Devil's Castle laptop to Chi's tablet.

"Me neither," Emi said through a mouthful of cake.

"Still, I suppose that's a good thing. It actually reminds me, I wanted to talk to you about something," Maou said quietly.

Emi looked at Maou, her cheeks still puffed out from the cake she was eating. Even with her mouth full she was beautiful, and Maou's vision flashed, showing her as she was in his dream last night. A dress, cut high upon the thighs, a clear blouse, a flickering fire and a violent rhythm as Emi swung her hips to the beat. Maou blanched and came back to Earth, where Emi was looking slightly concerned, having swallowed her cake.

"Why are we whispering," she asked in an undertone.

"It's important," Maou said, "let's go outside."

Maou stood and offered Emi his hand, which she took after a moment of hesitation. Together they stood and waked past Suzuno and Ashiya, who were threatening each other with large, sharp kitchen knives. Out of the apartment they went, out of the porch and down the steps, all the way out until they were leaning against the cinder block wall outside the shabby apartment building.

"So, what's this about," Emi asked, slightly more on guard than before.

"Emi, I needed to talk to you about us."

The way Maou said it made Emi's face go red and she looked perplexed, dumbfounded and scandalized all at once. Maou, however, giggled slightly at the realization he'd made them sound like an item.

"That sounded a little less awkward in my head. Anyway, I wanted for us to talk about our future together… dammit, I did it again!"

He looked conflicted, for each time he tried to get his motives out and in the open, it sounded like he were going to drop to one knee and propose to her on the spot. He exhaled deeply and regained his confidence, then tried again.

"Emi, I wanted to propose a deal of sorts. What do you say, does another deal with the Devil sound like an option?"

Emi looked interested, though she said nothing. Maou took that as a good sign and continued.

"I have talked over our… situation… with my troops and we-uh- well we believe that a truce may be the best way to deal with what's to come."

"You talked to your roommates about what we did," Emi hissed, pushing Maou against the wall by his collar.

"No, but I needed to give them a reason for our rather neutral attitude towards each other, they don't know any details, other than the fact that I stayed the night at your apartment," Maou said lamely.

Emi looked slightly apologetic and let go of Maou's collar, then she frowned and fixed it for him, making it even and unwrinkled, as it was before she reacted. Maou slightly slid away from her as she once more took her place beside him against the wall. She cleared her throat and looked away from the Demon King, frowning and blushing slightly.

"So, they only know a little bit… what's this about a truce?"

"Well, I was thinking, what if, at some point, we all went back to Ente Isla? What would happen? Where would we go, how would people react? How would we react to each other?"

"Ok, so what are you getting at?"

Maou stepped away from the wall and stood right in front of Emi, forcing her to meet his eye and to see the seriousness of his proposal.

"Emi, when I became the Demon King, there was no magic amongst us, there were no official languages, no nothing, just a bunch of wandering tribes warring with one another, hunted and picked off by humans. I was taught to speak and use magic by an Arcangel, who found me when I was weak and dying. She gave me life, even though I fought her, and she initially sparked my interest in humans. Emi, I realize that I hurt humans, and I know I was wrong to do so. I wanted nothing more than for all of us to live together, happily ever after, just like the stories, but the demons I commanded wanted blood, and they took it without my blessing. I'm not assigning blame, I know the blood of the innocents who died is on my hands, but I think that given how much I've learned here, and how much we've accomplished together, we could actually work together in Ente Isla."

Emi looked at Maou, her green eyes piercing his red ones, and she blinked, crossing her arms. Emi did not look happy, nor did she look sad, she looked rather unsure and pessimistic at best.

"And so you think that the people will just forgive you, and that they will just forget your sins?"

"No, I don't expect them to, but I want a better place for demons to live, and you want a safer world for humans. If my death would bring peace amongst the humans and would allow them to accept demonkind as a friend and neighbor, then I think I would be willing to make that sacrifice, Emi. I want peace, I want unity, I want prosperity, and with the human and demon races united, progress would be inevitable! Just think, thousands of new ways of looking at problems would emerge. For every human problem, there is a demon with a solution and vice versa! We could do so much to bring about a world of peace, and I was thinking that if you deemed me worthy after our time here, and if you thought me to be of superior quality after our lives as humans, maybe we could reunite in Ente Isla and we could work together to bring about this peace."

"Do you really believe that we would trust you? Do you really think that humans would just take my word for it and believe you to be reformed?"

"Again, no. As I said, I'm prepared to die for the chance of peace. In fact, I've sort of resigned to that."

Emi was stunned. Here, in front of her, the Demon King was touting that he would one day sacrifice himself for the sake of peace. And to Emi's surprise, she found herself upset and saddened by the thought of his death.

"So, you would just run away again and leave the world to fend for itself, typical demon!"

"If you have a better suggestion for my penance," Maou said, leaning in dangerously close to Emi, "I'd be glad to hear it."

Maou pushed his face into hers, forcing her to acknowledge his determination and his loyalty to his kin. In that moment, Emi found that she truly did not want Maou dead, which made her head spin. Or perhaps that was Maou's scent, intoxicating as it was. And he was so close, she could see the lines on his face as he frowned….Emi snapped out of it and realized once more that they were discussing the fate of the world.

"I… I don't know," Emi admitted, turning her gaze away from Maou's intense red eyes.

"Well, I do," Maou said, once more leaning against the wall, right next to Emi.

"The humans will want blood price," Maou continued, stuffing his hands into his pockets, "and I'll pay it to see the day humans and demons can live in harmony. And when I die, you should be the one to kill me."

Emi's eyes widened and she turned to look at Maou, who was watching the ground at his feet intently.

"Why?"

"The Hero should be the one to kill the Demon King. Look at it this way, after killing me, I guarantee you will hold more sway than the Church. When you are in this delicate position of power, I want… no, I don't want, I ask that you do all you can to play the Devil's Advocate, literally, as I won't be there to speak for my people. Ashiya and Urushihara will help you, too. And when all is said and done there will be peace for all, the mighty Hero, Emilia Justina, will reign as a kind and wise leader. Ashiya and Urushihara can serve as your advisors, maybe you can form a council and you can sort of take a step back as society grows and expands."

As Maou spoke, Emi could almost see the future he'd laid out come to pass. It was such a well laid plan, and if she agreed, it could mean the end of a millennia old war.

"You've really thought this through," Emi said carefully.

"When you are born with an incredibly long lifespan, your plans generally take years to complete, this human aspect of planning only weeks or months in advance in ridiculous," Maou replied.

"What about Ashiya, Urushihara and all the other demons, won't you miss them?"

"More than you know. I've known Alciel the longest, and he's always been a loyal, trustworthy general, and the best friend I could have asked for. I'll miss this world, too, and all I've gleaned from living in it. I'll even miss Crestia Bell, Urushihara, Chiho… and you," Maou said quietly.

"You'd miss me," Emi asked.

"Yes," Maou said, "I would, at the very least, miss the good times we shared, surviving in a strange and foreign world. And if I never get the chance, thanks for everything. You've actually been very kind and considerate to a few vile demons, we can't even begin to repay you for your mercy."

Maou stood from the wall and turned to Emi again, but this time he kept a respectful distance and bowed in a traditional Japanese way, his hands clasped tightly together.

 **My goodness, this is the first time in a long time I've actually added to this story. It took a very dark turn there, though, what with Maou spouting his sacrifice logic. Still, I think this is a much better pace for a romance themed story... and if your a music lover, I actually had a very specific song in mind for the chapter as I wrote it.**

 **When The Day Met The Night- Panic! At the Disco**


	7. The Devil and the Hero: Gathering

Emi watched Maou leave, unsure of how she felt. The thought of killing Maou actually made her was to regurgitate her cake and run away crying. But she was the Hero, she was destined to stop the Devil… what if he was right? What if the only way to sate the human's bloodlust was for Emi to kill the Devil?

'No,' Emi thought, 'there has to be another way, Maou isn't the same person he was before. He's become more human, more down to Earth. There has to be a way to fix this without his death.'

But even as Emi leaned against the wall, the sun beating against her as she stood there lost in thought, she knew that to Maou was correct. Emi couldn't think of a single way that he would be forgiven for his atrocities.

Or maybe he could be forgiven. Emi had been raised as a weapon, a tool meant for one purpose: to kill Satan Jacob, the King of the Demons. If she could forgo her years of conditioning and training and hatred, and finally come to see the Devil as a being of humanity and empathy, then everyone else could too. After all, she'd lived for years under the story that Maou had killed her father when he hadn't. Not for the last time, Emi thought of the Church and what else they had lied about. With slow, deliberate steps, she walked back up to the Devil's Castle, fixing a smile on her face, determined to enjoy the party.

When she returned, everyone was sitting around the small table, with two large dishes before them. It seemed to be made of simple and cheap foods, eggs, rice and the like, but the seasonings seemed to have been focused upon in a culinary competition of flavor between Ashiya and Suzuno. They faced each other from opposite sides of the table, staring daggers at each other.

"There can be only one dish that emerges victorious," Ashiya said.

"And it will be mine," Suzuno said. With gusto, everyone dished themselves servings of both meals for a side by side comparison and Emi took a seat cross the table from Maou, who was slowly chewing upon a mouthful of oyakodan, a Japanese dish with eggs, rice and chicken.

"The chicken was used as my special ingredient," Suzuno explained, "I brought it from my apartment so that I could show this culinary disgrace who is the real lord of the flavors."

"You will not win," Ashiya said, "for I have prepared my master's favorite, katsudon! I took some of the pork from a leftover pork bowl of Urishihara's, and with eggs and rice, I've made a feast fit for a king… my king, to be precise."

Everyone took samplings of both dishes, finding them to be of excellent quality and flavor, though several people were conflicted in their choosing.

"I'm voting for Ashiya," Maou said.

"Of course you are," Suzuno said, now glaring at Maou.

"Well, I'm voting for Suzuno," Urushihara said, patting his belly, "I'm so sick of pork bowls, that chicken was a nice change."

Suzuno smirked and blushed, turning to face Ashiya.

"So it begins," she said quietly, "here and now, I dismantle and divide the Demon King's army with my special ingredient: chicken!"

Suzuno stabbed her chopstick into a piece of chicken and held it high, like a sword. However, her victorious pose was ruined by Chiho.

"I'm voting for Ashiya," she said, "I love the way you used left over takeout in your recipe, and it worked so well!"

It was now Ashiya's turn to gloat as he bowed to Chiho.

"You see Suzuno? Your chicken is no match for the alluring power of Moshi Roshi's Jumbo Pork Bowl! With this addition to my katsudon, I am undefeatable!"

"Not so fast," Emi said, dabbing at her mouth with a napkin, "I'm voting for Suzuno, that pork is just too much for me."

"You see, Ashiya," Suzuno quipped, "your pork is fattening and unhealthy, my chicken is light and nutritious!"

"Why you," Ashiya said, about to lunge over the table when the obvious was pointed out.

"Hey, guys," Maou said, "it's a tie, nobody won."

With that, Ashiya and Suzuno dished bowls of each other's food, in hopes of a tie breaker. Ashiya poked at the oyakodan, while Suzuno played with her katsudon, neither willing to try the other's masterpiece.

"Are you sure this isn't poisoned," Suzuno asked.

"I was just wondering the same thing," Ashiya said grimly.

"Same time," Suzuno asked, spearing a large piece of pork on her chopsticks.

"Of course," Ashiya concurred.

Together they raised large bites of each other's dishes to their mouths, carefully watching for any sign of backing out. With resignation, however, they each went through with the act and after a moment of hesitant chewing, they both stopped.

"This… this is…," Suzuno stammered.

"Amazing," Ashiya said.

Ashiya and Suzuno looked at each other, and then declared their votes.

"I vote for you, Ashiya!"

"And I vote for you, Suzuno!"

"That doesn't help," Maou said, "by voting for the other person, you guys simply prolonged the tie."

"A tie is fine by me," Ashiya said, "at least Suzuno enjoyed my food, unlike some people…," Ashiya glared at Urushihara, who held up his hands in surrender. Emi enjoyed the whole affair, but she found that she couldn't help but think about Maou's predictions for the future. She glanced at him only to find him watching her rather intently.

"You alright, Emi," he asked, "you look a little pale."

"I'm… uh…"

"Maou's right," Chiho said, leaning forward, "you do look a little pale. Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," Emi said quietly, "just a little headache."

"Sheesh," Urushihara said, "first Maou, then you… maybe it's mono."

"Mono," Suzuno asked.

"You know," Urushihara said with an evil grin, "the kissing disease."

Emi looked angry and Urushihara ducked under the table and scooted away as fast as possible. This time, however, Emi grabbed an empty glass bottle from her purse, one that had been used to hold Holy Vitamin Beta, and chucked it at Urushihara who caught it and tossed it into the recyclable bin.

"The Hero, littering? For shame, Emilia, I thought the Church would've taught you better," Urushihara chided, pushing Emi's buttons in retaliation for her attacks on him.

"Shut up, Lucifer, I killed you once and I can damn sure do it again."

"I'm so scared."

"Why are you so mad," Suzuno asked.

"Urushihara is insinuating that the Devil and I were kissing," Emi said through gritted teeth.

Suzuno covered her mouth with a long sleeve on her kimono and looked scandalized, her eyes flickering between Emi and Maou.

"You haven't-," she began before being cut off by Emi and Maou.

"No," Emi said.

"Never," Maou said, "she'd die before that happened."

"Exactly," Emi said, "absolutely right."

Chiho looked like she was going to have a mental breakdown at the thought of Maou and Emi together. Her eye twitched and she looked at them rather strangely, like she was doing her best to hide the pain. Suzuno then noticed Chi's discomfort and she seized one of her sandals by the door, throwing it at Urushihara, who was not expecting a second attack. The sandal hit him on the back of the head and bounced over it, only to be caught in his hand.

"Et tu, Brute?"

"What," Suzuno asked blankly, her arm still outstretched from throwing the sandal.

"I believe it's a line from ancient texts of this world," Ashiya said, drawing from the knowledge he'd gained at the library, "it refers to the betrayal of Julius Caesar by his friend, Brutus. When Brutus stabbed Caesar to stop him from becoming any more powerful, Caesar turn to his friend and delivered the line. I believe Urushihara feels betrayed, especially after he voted for your dish."

Suzuno looked slightly saddened and she blushed, turning away.

"It was for Chiho's wellbeing," Suzuno said, not looking Lucifer in his nefarious violet gaze, "she is delicate, especially when it comes to these matters."

"I'm not delicate," Chiho said lamely.

The party wore on, dragging onward long into the darkness of night. Everyone was preparing to go home, but Maou devised a better idea: a sleep over.

"This way we can all just hang out here, take it easy for the night. And then tomorrow you can all go home. This way we'll have more time together, and who knows when we'll next be able to see each other like this again," Maou said.

"I'll call my parents and let them know," Chi said, stepping outside to make the call.

"I'm not sure," Emi said, conscious of the last time she'd stayed the night, "you weren't very hospitable last time."

"Last time," Suzuno interrupted, poking her head from around the door of the fridge as she grabbed more sodas for everyone.

"Back when Lucifer was working with Olba," Emi said, "he fired shots at us and I dropped my wallet, so I had to stay the night here and catch a bus home in the morning."

"I gave you a blanket and a pillow," Maou said in his defense, "that's more than Ashiya and I had at that time."

Emi hadn't thought of that, so she rested her case and agreed to stay the night. Maou, to her surprise, pulled several new sleeping bags from the closet and laid them out on the floor for everyone, along with several brand new pillows, meant for guests. They all prepared for the wind down as Chiho came back in. Within the hour, they'd all settled into their pajamas and begun to talk more quietly to each other, sipping on water and eating a few light snacks before bed, trying to keep it down for their human neighbors.

Slowly but surely, one by one, they drifted off to sleep as the others talked quietly amongst themselves. Chiho fell asleep to Emi and Maou telling her tales of Ente Isla, Lucifer fell asleep at his computer and Suzuno got up and closed it, throwing a blanket over his shoulders for warmth. Ashiya turned in early, for after his epic food battle he was tired and ready for a good night's rest, as he had to wake early to clean up after the party. Suzuno, Maou, and Emi stayed up late, though Maou and Emi were accustomed to the hours, as they often had to pick up unsavory shifts to make ends meet. Before long, it was just the two of them talking, barely able to see each other through the dim light of the moon shining through the curtains.

"Hey Maou," Emi said, listening the heavy breathing to make sure everyone else was asleep before she broached their earlier topic of discussion.

"Hmm?"

"Did you mean what you said earlier? Outside, I mean?"

Emi heard him give a small laugh and shift as he turned in his sleeping bag to look at her where her voice had come from.

"Did I mean what? What aspect of all that are you wondering about," Maou asked tiredly, picking out Emi by the twinkle in her eyes.

"What you said about… sacrifice… and missing this?"

"You mean missing you," Maou said smartly, honing in on Emi's feelings. Emi blushed, hoping against hope that everyone else was sleeping, but Maou seemed to be able to sense Emi's thoughts as well.

"They're asleep," Maou said dismissively, sitting up in his sleeping bag, "and yes, I meant it, Emi. Strange as it is, I would miss you. An angel may have taught me magic and language, but you taught me something much more precious, and even more valuable."

"And what would that be," Emi wondered aloud.

"The value of human life, the fact that even the those with the worst of pasts can still do good things. You taught me what it is to be human, when all I knew was to be a demon. Sure, you threatened to kill me if I stepped over the line, but maybe that's what it took to get me to this point. Anyway, I'll say it again, so you know I mean it. Thank you," Maou said.

"This may be a strange question, but have you ever thanked anyone else in your life," Emi asked.

"Only a handful of people. There was the Archangel who saved me, there was Ashiya, maybe Lucifer at one point… and now you."

Emi thought about that as she drifted off to sleep, her head filled with Maou. Could he be deceiving her? No… but his words about forming plans that took years returned to her, and her sleep suffered greatly for it.

In her dream, Emi watched her life pass her by. She had returned to Ente Isla, she'd found a way to vindicate Satan Jacob. They grew older, the Demon King and the Hero, working together. They grew closer and closer, ending with a vision of Emi and Maou, together as a family, a small girl with long silver hair between them, a lock of purple across the girl's forehead. They were all smiling and happy together.

Emi woke up in Ente Isla, in her palace that she shared with the Demon King. She searched, but she couldn't find him anywhere around the extensive halls and grand rooms. Finally she left the palace and found the city populace, all dead, a lone figure standing over them. He was tall and regal, with large horns and a cape. He was soaked in the blood of the townsfolk, men, women, and children, all slain at his hand. His eyes glowed red and his sharp teeth were dripping blood. He slowly walked toward her, his red eyes terrifying Emi, but she couldn't run, she was stuck where she was, unable to move. When the Devil spoke his voice was deep and dark, dripping with untold years of hatred.

"Emi," said the figure, "Emi, I told you this would happen. I told you our plans unfolded over the course of several years."

"Maou," Emi stammered, "why?"

"I never cared for you," Maou said, a wicked grin splitting his bloody jaws, "our love, our family, they were all a dream. You were set up from the moment I left Ente Isla all those years ago. I knew you would be the one to stand in my way, so I made you believe I had changed, I fooled you."

"I'll kill you," Emi said, a tear running from the corner of her eye, but still she was frozen, unable to move a single muscle.

"You would kill me, Emi," asked Maou, his form and his voice flickering into a more human semblance, "you would kill your husband?"

"No, I just-"

"Got you again!"

Maou turned back into his demon form and within moments, he was upon Emi, his large clawed hand around her throat, lifting her off the ground. Emi kicked but it was futile, she felt her breath drain away and with her final breath she thought of how she'd been tricked into loving the Devil, years of love and happiness, all in vain.

And then she actually woke up with a yelp, on the floor of the Devil's Castle in Japan, surrounded snoring lumps, still sleeping peacefully in the wee hours of the morning.

 **One more before bed. Anyway, I received a couple reviews on the story, both pretty much saying that I should read the light novels. I would love too, I really would, but two problems, I can only find a few translated bits and pieces, all of which I have hungrily devoured with my bibliophilic tendencies. I love it and I wish I could read Japanese (this being problem number two, I can't) so I could keep up with the story. I didn't write this to bash the author, I wrote this as a way of saying that while I love the story, the romantic pacing is a bit stretched, you know? Just figured I'd clarify for anyone else that actually reads these. Also, during Emi's dream of their family, yes, that is Alas=Ramus between them. No, she won't be a part of the story unless someone grants my wish and posts free translations online and I decide to pull some time-skip bullshit. But who know, maybe...**


	8. The Devil and the Hero: Nightmare

Emi gazed around as the pre-dawn darkness pressed upon her eyes. The sound of snoring was rhythmic and constant, but Emi was sure her cry would've woken someone. It seemed she was wrong. She stood, grabbed her thing and carefully picked her way across the floor of the apartment.

'I won't be played,' Emi thought harshly, 'I'm the Hero, I can't allow myself to get distracted. I must maintain my vigil, or else the Devil will rise again.'

She paused by the door, slipping on her shoes before she opened the door slowly and silently, sliding through the gap and closing it behind her. She had her purse, she had her clothes, she would leave for her place and she would never visit the Devil's Castle again, her dream making her eyes mysteriously watery as she began to walk quickly away from the apartment. She got to the stairs and almost screamed, seeing a figure about knee height sitting upon the steps. Emi gasped and fell backward, grasping the rail for support. Upon the steps, looking rather concerned for Emi, was Maou.

"Hey, Emi," he said tiredly, "you're awake, huh?"

"Satan."

Emi's eyes were wide and she looked like she might hit him. Maou, however looked even more concerned. He turned on the steps to get a better look at Emi. She was pale, covered in a thin sheen of sweat. She wore her pajamas, and had slipped on her shoes without any socks, meaning she was leaving in a rush.

"Satan," Maou asked, "what's with that?"

"That's what you are," Emi said defensively, "the Devil, Satan Jacob, Ruler of Demons and Slaughterer of Innocents."

"Emi," Maou said sharply, cutting her off, "what's happened? What's going on? You seem upset and you look petrified to see me. Are you sick? Or is it your… you know…"

Emi was taken aback. For a moment, she thought Maou was talking about her feminine functions, but then he finished his sentence in an undertone.

"…your emotions? Are they getting bad again?"

Emi looked at Maou, who genuinely looked concerned for her wellbeing, but then her vision flashed and he had red eyes, horns goat legs and bloody teeth. She saw a field of corpses and she felt hopelessness surge through her.

"They are none of your business," Emi said, brushing away tears angrily and trying to sidle past Maou without touching him.

"Emi," Maou said, "be careful, this railing is-"

Crack!

The section of railing Emi was leaning against to circumvent Maou broke and Emi felt time slow as she teetered over the edge. Without the time to even shout, Emi tumbled over the edge, the ground closing fast. Then she felt her arm stiffen and strain. She looked up and saw Maou, holding Emi's hand as she hung off of the stairs.

"-weak," Maou finished through gritted teeth, pulling Emi back up and onto the stairs. They were narrow though, so Emi lay across Maou's lap, breathing rather heavily and shaking from the adrenaline. There was a moment of silence and stillness, then Emi stood and clenched a fist, striking Maou hard across the face.

"AH! Emi, what the fuck!?"

"That's what you get," Emi said through gritted teeth, tears still spilling from her eyes. No matter how much she looked at Maou, the same visions appeared in her head, showing him standing over a city of bodies, evil and demonic.

"For what," Maou said, grabbing her shoulders and pushing Emi up against the apartments of the Villa Rosa complex.

"For… for…."

Emi broke. As Sadoa Maou pinned her against the wall of the building, demanding an explanation for Emi's attack, she broke down, allowing the visions of her dreams to finally leak from her tear ducts. Emi rarely dreamed, she considered it a gift, as she rarely had nightmares, but at the cost of no dreams of flight and love and whimsical fantasies. So when she did have a nightmare, it shocked her. And when she had one that pulled at her heartstrings and made her suffer horrible fates, she was severely traumatized.

Maou released Emi and she slid down the wall, sitting down hard upon the steps leading to the upstairs apartments. She curled up, putting her head upon her knees and she cried, feeling her emotions well up inside her. The Hero's sadness and paranoia leaked from her like a broken hose, and Maou did all he could to help. He sat down next to her as she cried, and slowly but surely wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She didn't resist, enthralled as she was by her terrifying visions. Maou soon had two arms around her, holding her close to him, and as Emi cried, Maou activated his power. He did not seek to steal more power from the Hero, he just wanted to help, and so he thought the spell, over and over in his mind and Emi's emotions were sucked into Maou, turning into power.

"Maou," Emi said, her voice muffled through her arms and her knees.

"Yeah, Emi," Maou asked gently.

"I'm sorry I hit you, I had a nightmare and I just…"

Her sobbing renewed, and Maou thought her heard a noise behind him, but when he spun around, no one was there. He resumed holding Emi, draining her sadness, her fear and her paranoia, all of which were crippling and gut wrenching from Maou's viewpoint. Even so, when he tried to look into Emi's feelings, he found a bundled heap of neurological wiring, lying discarded in her brain.

"Emi," Maou said, giving her a little shake.

"Hmm?"

"What's wrong? I can sense there's something really wrong, but I don't know what. Your emotions are… well, it's like they've been mixed into one big tank of angst and it's begun draining out of you… like you yourself can't even identify them anymore. What's going on?"

Emi thought about her nightmare. She thought about loving someone for years and one day learning it was just a great big scheme to lure her into a trap. An entire lifetime of love and happiness, wasted….

"I just… I have a lot on my mind."

"Well," Maou said, "that's why I threw the party. I figure we're all so busy with our own stuff right now, we needed a break, a little time to relax, you know? Listen, I won't pretend to know what you're going through, I mean, you punched me in the face a second ago, but if I had to guess, your nightmare was terrible."

No response met Maou, so he cleared his throat and continued.

"Well, I think you were on your way out, and in a hurry too. I don't know why, and if you wanna leave, I won't stop you… but Emi, if you were to stay, even if it was just for a couple hours and you left when the sun actually came up, that'd be awesome."

"You want me to stay," Emi asked, lifting her head from her knees and looking at Maou.

"Yeah. Like I said, I wanna spend time with everyone before the work week starts back up and we all have our own stuff and we can't really see each other. And I know Urushihara is a pain and I know that everyone fights a lot and that we can be pretty annoying and stupid, but it's begun to feel like-"

Maou cut off suddenly, turning away to hide his crimson cheeks.

"Feel like what," Emi said, wiping away a remaining tear and sniffling.

"Well, it's sort of begun to feel like a family," Maou said, not looking at Emi. Suddenly he stood and turned to go back inside.

"If you want to stay, come back in and get some sleep… or wait out here, either way, it'd mean a lot if you decided to stay the rest of the night. Maybe tomorrow we can all go do something together. If you want to leave, you can go, there's no one to trip over now."

Maou turned and walked back into his apartment, leaving Emi outside to think. She knew that the others would question her absence in the morning, and Maou knew that if he didn't want to get punched again, he would cover it up. No, the decision was hers to make. Should she leave, or should she stay?

'Well,' Maou's voice echoed in her head, 'it's sort of begun to feel like a family… It'd mean a lot if you decided to stay…even if it was just for a couple of hours…'

Emi felt her navel fill with butterflies as she thought about Maou. No, he'd never do something like in her nightmare; Emi would kill him if he tried. And Suzuno would help her do it, plain and simple. Emi wasn't sure why, but the little girl that was Suzuno Kamazuki never really seemed like a killer to Emi, still she had no doubt in her mind that Suzuno could hide a body better than anyone else she knew.

'That idiot,' Emi thought, 'I wonder why he was out here….'

And Emi was left to wonder why Maou, the Devil with no conscience, was outside, alone, at night, sitting upon the front steps and not nestled in his covers, sleeping soundly. Perhaps there was more to the Demon King than Emi had originally assumed. But then, what could keep a Devil awake at night? Emi had come out here to leave, and in an instant, a chance encounter with Maou, he had suddenly made her want to stay. His words, asking her to stay, echoed in Emi's head, over and over.

'Does that sound like a diabolical schemer's voice,' asked Emi's conscience, 'or does that sound more like someone who enjoys your company and wants to see more of you?'

Emi shook her head, the Devil didn't care! But even as she thought about it, she knew he did, otherwise he'd have let her fall. Maybe he was true to his word, and he actually wanted to have a future with her…

'That sounded way different than I thought it would,' Emi thought to herself cradling her head in her hands. Still, it left the question, what should she do?

Emi waited for the sense of panic and paranoia that usually overwhelmed her when it came time to make a decision, but none came. In fact, her sadness, it seemed had been removed altogether. She thought about her dream and the fears that drove to her spawn those terrible visions, but they too had been purged. In fact, the only thing Emi could remember clearly from her dream was a vision of her, Maou, and a little girl with silver and purple hair between them, a happy family.

Emi came back from within the deepest recesses of her mind to find she had a smile upon her face. It left as quickly as it came, pushed out by Emi's frown. With a sigh, she realized she had Maou to thank for the lack of negative emotion she felt. Still, she was unsure about that, as he'd taken them without her consent.

'Even if he had offered, I probably would've told him to shove it,' Emi thought, 'he probably just figured it would help me feel better.'

'Or maybe,' said a snooty little voice in the back of her head, 'he actually cares for you and he could sense that you needed the help. Maybe you should stay, even if it's just to thank him for what he did.'

Emi knew the voice well, as it was her logic and reasoning speaking. With another sigh, she stood up, wavered with one foot over the step down before she pivoted and quietly walked back up the stairs, onto the porch, and back into the apartment. Maou was awake, looking at the ceiling with his arms behind his head. Emi kicked off her shoes, crept back over to the sleeping back next to Maou's and laid down.

"Thank you," Maou said in a barely comprehensible whisper.

Emi said nothing, laying back down and trying her best to fall asleep. Her final thought was the fact that Maou had been awake while she was asleep, and that he could've killed her right then and there if he were evil… but he didn't. It wasn't the most pleasant of thought, but it was strong, practical and it made Emi feel a little more secure. With a sigh she fell back asleep and had no dreams, resting long and lazily as the sun rose in the sky.

"Emi," said a voice, "Emi, wake up."

It was a familiar voice, one that Emi associated with strange feelings that made her gut flitter and made her brow furrow. She opened her eyes, and found herself in a most compromising position. She was cuddled up against Maou, holding onto a fistful of his loose pajama shirt, one of her legs thrown over one of his own. She sleepily looked up to see Maou trying to wake her up.

"Emi," Maou said quietly, "get off me, before Urushihara wakes up!"

And in that moment, she realized that she had broken free of her sleeping bag during the night and sidled up to a sleeping Maou, who was now looking rather uncomfortable, like a child who feared being caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

Emi's eyes grew wide and she slowly let go of Maou, rolled over and curled into a ball, tucking her knees into her chest and covering herself with a blanket. The shock of such an act faded quickly though, and soon Emi had fallen back asleep. Maou himself quickly stood after being untangles from Emi and in a rather static state of disbelief, he went about cleaning up the apartment, as Ashiya was till snoozing away soundly. Maou's face still hurt from being punched a few hours ago, but he had used his magic to heal it as best he could, so now he wouldn't have any noticeable marks.

And even after he had scoured the apartment, washed and dressed himself he was still rather in awe of his awakening. He could still remember it. He'd woken up to a comfortable warmth about him, with a dead leg and an arm across his chest. He had looked down and there, looking like she was in perfect serenity, was the red haired Hero of Ente Isla. He remembered the look on her face as she slept, the way she had been slightly drooling upon him side. As Maou cracked eggs to make breakfast, he thought of how she had looked when she'd woken up. Her look of sleepy confusion, the way the sun beams shot through her hair, making it look as if it were on fire, and the way her sleepy green eyes opened wide when she finally realized how they had been cuddling in their sleep.

 **Another chapter? Sorcery! Deceit! Nope, it's real, 100 percent fanfiction. Fresh out of the oven and ready to be devoured for your guilty pleasure. Or mine, still not sure who I write this stuff for. Angsty chapter here, lots of emotions and stuff like that. I just have all of these feelings! Anywho, I hope you like it. Read on, Devils.**


	9. The Devil and the Hero: Realizations

The smell of cooking breakfast wafted through the small apartments and down the stairs outside the building, the pungent aroma of sizzling food making the occupants all lift their heads from their pillows and sniff the air hopefully, barely aware of their actions. Maou, however, remained fixed in his own little world, not to be disturbed by his seemingly automatic functions of food preparations.

'What the hell was that,' Maou thought to himself, the vision of Emilia the Hero still vivid and unreal behind his scarlet eyes, 'and why is my body reacting like this?'

Maou stopped, looking down at his hand. It shook as it held the spatula, his breathing was shaky and uneven and his heart was thumping painfully in his chest. His mind was moving at a snail's pace and it was filled with visions of a certain green eyed, red haired Hero. He gulped past the lump in his throat and felt as if he were being lifted off of the floor of the apartment by his stomach, which lurched as if he'd missed a step going down the stairs. With a casual side glance, Maou picked out Emi's form among the large mass of sleeping bags upon the floor. It seemed Maou's food had subconsciously pulled Emi's face back out from under where she had hid it under the sleeping bag. She was resting peacefully, and as Maou found himself staring at her, he noticed how he wasn't just looking at the Hero, he was looking at her every detail. From the shape of her nose to the uncharacteristically blank and content expression upon her face. From the way her hair fell across her forehead to the, steady, rhythmic rising and falling of her chest as she drew breath. And as Maou stared, he found he couldn't get enough, as if he were breathing air or drinking water for the first time ever, he found he couldn't get enough of the sunlit vision before him. He felt tears in his eyes as he stared, his mind reeling, unable to form even the simplest sentences. Only one word came to mind as he gazed with fierce longing upon Emi.

"Beautiful," Maou whispered aloud. His functions were suspended, and he leaned against the hot stove as a moment of dire panic and realization hit him like a freight train. He'd only ever felt this panic a few times before in his life. Once when he had been bested by Emilia the Hero, and driven from Ente Isla. Panic and rage had taken hold, and he'd ripped open a gate into an unknown world, not knowing what would happen. He felt this panic now, except he felt no rage here. It seemed strange to Maou, for he still had that similarly crippling feeling that fate was about to pull the world from underneath his feet. Another glance over his shoulder at the sleeping form of Emi confirmed his suspicions. He stared blankly into the frying pan as breakfast slowly began to char and overcook. Somehow, in between the bickering and the pestering, the stalking and the fighting, the forgiving and the forgetting, Maou, the King of Demons and Terror of Ente Isla, had fallen in love with the Hero.

Maou felt his world flip upside down with the thought and he steadied himself with the stove, accidentally burning his hand in the process. The pain, however, was helpful. It pulled him from his realization and back to the now, where if he let the frying pan go any longer without attendance, it would set off a smoke alarm. Maou felt his mind slip back into the gut wrenching, terror inducing realization and he squeezed the burns on his hand, using the pain to combat his emotions. He tossed the charred remains of his first attempt at breakfast into a bag and tossed said bag into the freezer to cool down. He then washed the frying pan while it was still hot and prepared breakfast once more, his eyes filling with tears from the pain. As he cooked, he thought about his feelings from a logical perspective.

'How could I have let this happen… dammit,' Maou thought as he thumped eggs against the counter to crack their shells.

'Maou, you stupid son of a bitch, why did you let this happen… you know that you can't….'

His thoughts all took this form, and within moments he was overwhelmed by a tidal wave of logical reasons to give up his newfound feelings for Emilia.

'We can't be together,' Maou thought, 'Emi would never accept you as a lover… you have to be alone, for the sake of demonkind… you can't get distracted, your troops and your kin are all relying on you… but she's so beautiful… and so smart… charming and funny and amazing in every way. NO!'

Maou clenched his burned hand and let out a breath to vent his feelings of the pain. Both in his heart and upon his hand, the pain was excruciating. Tears spilt from his eyes and he flicked them away angrily, hating himself for his weak willed heart. Not for the first time, and certainly not for the last, Maou despised himself for his weakness. He was unfit to rule the demons of the world, and he was unfit to fall in love with Emi, he was unfit to receive such loyalty from Ashiya. In a sense, he deserved this pain, and he deserved to be hated by Emi and he deserved to be put to death for his crimes against humanity. Turning pale, Maou clenched and unclenched his fist quickly, using his good hand to flip the eggs and prepare breakfast. Within a few minutes he'd whipped up a nice little meal for his friends and one by one he woke them.

"Morning," Chiho said happily, stretching and looking like the day was hers and hers alone to seize.

"Morning," said Maou, trying to smile as he dished Chiho a plate.

"Maou, you ok?"

"Fine," he said, smiling even wider, "here's breakfast in bed for you, yes, for you too, Urushihara."

"Thanks," Lucifer said, his violet eyes flashing at the veritable feast of breakfast before him. As he dug in, Maou continued in that manner, waking everyone and handing them a plate of breakfast, until he finally reached Emi. The thought that he had fallen for her suddenly made his awkward human emotions make some sense. The way he always felt the need to be around her, the way she seemed to constantly draw his gaze, the fact that he was always so self-conscious when he was around her…

"Hey Emi," Maou said gently, grabbing one of Emi's shoulders and softly shaking her awake.

She woke gradually, sleepily and was still rather tired. Slowly but surely, she registered Maou standing over her, holding a plate of breakfast and looking as if he'd seen the light of the sun for the first time. His smile was tired and he had dark circles under his eyes. Even so, he looked… apologetic? Embarrassed? What was it? Whatever it was, Emi could see an underlying sadness. She accepted the plate of breakfast and in the moment she did, their hands touched. They looked at each other hard for a moment before Maou stood and turned away. In the moment before he did, however, Emi saw his smile flicker and die, replaced with look of unbearable heartache and grievous torment. His frown was steeped in his overwhelming soup of emotional distress and in Emi became concerned, looking Maou over carefully. What could be wrong with him? In a moment, she spotted his hand and she stood, setting aside her food while everyone else chewed upon mouthfuls of delicious breakfast gratefully. Maou left the stifling air of the apartment for the fresh, brisk air of the cool morning, sitting upon the steps as he had last night.

After making sure no one was around, he smoothed down his unkempt raven hair and held his face in his hands, thinking hard. But no matter what he thought about, it always came back to Emi. No matter how far off he cast his mental lines, no matter how much he changed the tracks for his train of thought, there was Emi, conducting the train. There she was on the boat of his subconscious with him as he cast about for anything to take her off his mind. Again, Maou, the Ruler of Demons, resorted to petty human pain to rid himself of his heart's desires. With a swift punch to his burnt hand and a sharp intake of breath, Maou felt the pain shoot up his forearm, breaking his concentration and forcing him to take his mind off of the Hero.

'Get it together, you loser, if anyone suspects anything they'll call you out on it, and your easier to read than a book. Dammit all, who's that now,' Maou thought savagely.

The door to his apartment opened and Maou stopped hunching over. He straightened up and turned about to see Emi, having followed him from the apartment. She was carrying a bottle of antibiotic ointment, a tube of aloe and a large bandage.

"Hey, Emi!"

The transformation between alone-Maou and his cheery, Emi-inspired counterpart was swift and terrifying. Within moments, he'd put aside his self-doubt, his anguish and his pain. The only thing that mattered was that Emi not be even the slightest bit uncertain of Maou's motive. His freshly realized one sided adoration of the Hero would bring his plans to secure a future for the demons of Ente Isla crumbling down if she were to find out… No, for the sake of every one of his people he had to make sure Emi was clueless.

"Hey Maou," Emi replied, looking Maou over carefully. The transformation had not been lost upon her, and Emi was already suspicious of the Devil. Was he just trying to be nice? What was up with this guy? Emi took a seat next to Maou upon the cramped stairway and took his burnt hand. Lightning shot through Maou's limbs and he snatched his hand away, looking at Emi incredulously. Maou had never felt this way before, always so distracted as he was with survival and with his ascension to power. And now, for the first time, he had fallen (almost literally) in love. It left him feeling open and vulnerable, so when Emi grabbed Maou's hand, he reacted as any prominent figure fearing for their life would, as Emi was the one person Maou now feared above all others. Give him a muscled, manly, in-your-face foe any day. Hell, give him ten, and equip them all with axes and polearms and heavy plate. At least then he could hurt his opponents and fight for his life, but with Emi, he couldn't do that, if she tried to kill him then and there, Maou could parry all he like, but he could never fight back, not against her.

Emi was taken aback by Maou's suddenly fearful expression, as if he'd just been accosted by someone who knew exactly how to destroy him. Emi now looked fearful, but not for herself, for Maou. He had been acting so strange, and now he pulled away when she tried to touch him?

'How does everything I think about us sound so bad,' Emi thought to herself.

"What's going on with you," Emi asked, gently taking Maou's burnt hand in a firm grip. Again, he pulled away, but Emi held his wrist in an iron grip and looked into his eyes, which he kept averted from her.

With a mighty pull, Emi pulled Maou's arm away from him and after a moment, he stopped fighting. She let go of Maou's wrist and began to clean, aloe and bandage his burn. Meanwhile, Maou simply looked the other way, doing his best to ignore the bursts of adrenaline that shot from their contact and wound up making him shiver whenever their skin met. After Emi finished applying the bandages, Maou quickly took his arm away to find a very clean and well done bandage. Almost impulsively, he used his good hand to firmly massage the burn, the pain stabilizing him and keeping him pinned to the present. Emi gazed at Maou with wide eyes, concern etched on every line of her face.

"Maou… what's wrong with you?"

"Nothing."

"Oh," Emi said, angrily swatting away the hair from her face, "I know you aren't lying to _me_ … I know that even _you_ aren't that stupid."

Maou smiled, still shivering from the aftermath of the hormonal attack Emi's touch had created in his body. The smile was fake and practiced and his crimson eyes still shone through with an implacable sadness, making Emi want to punch Maou.

"I'm not lying," Maou said, his voice cracking, "I'm telling the truth, Emi. I just slipped on the stove and got burned is all. There's nothing wrong."

"Oh yeah?"

Emi made to grab Maou's hand again and he retreated, moving so fast he almost hit his head upon the railing next to him. Emi looked triumphant, as if she'd made her point, but Maou simply continued to smile his ridiculous smile and once more took up a space next to Emi upon the stairwell.

"There was a time when the Demon King never flinched from a blow I gave him, much less a simple gesture of gratitude," Emi said, "so tell me again there's nothing wrong. I dare you."

Emi slid herself as close to Maou as she could, and as if they were both magnetsd Maou slid away from her, leaning away as she pressed herself upon him.

"What in the world has gotten into you, Maou," Emi asked, a look of unhappiness upon her face.

"Hey, Emi, are you gonna eat your-"

It was Urushihara, who had come out to ask if he could eat Emi's breakfast, as she had set it aside to help Maou with his injury, but upon seeing the look on Emi's face, he was silent.

"Whoa," Urushihara stated.

Maou felt his anger explode through a dam in his chest. He'd always looked down upon those with poor timing, but this was just plain ridiculous.

"Urushihara," Maou said, not looking at the man himself, "get back inside, I will be in shortly."

"But-"

"Get. Inside. Now. Or else I swear to God, I will take that fucking laptop and bash it over your head…"

Urushihara was terrified, and from the look on Maou's face, he probably would've done it too. He shrank back into the porch and slipped back inside, while outside, Emi was staring at Maou quite intently.

"What the hell is going on with you," Emi hissed, "I swear you're freaking bipolar or something."

Within moments, however, Maou had fixed his smile onto his face, feeling as if his plan to save the demons of Ente Isla was falling further and further out of reach with every wrong move he had made in front of Emi. But even as he grinned, tears ran from the corners of his eyes and his entire being ached to take Emi into his arms.

"I'm fine," Maou said, wiping away the tears, "don't worry about me, you should go inside and eat your breakfast before it gets cold…"

"I'm not leaving," Emi said, "Maou, I think I know what's going on…"

Maou felt his stomach drop and his world did another flip as he turned to stare at Emi with wide, teary, bloodshot eyes. How could she have figured it out? Did he let on too much? He thought he'd done the best he could to avoid giving any signs of being infatuated.

"Maou," Emi said gently, "while you are a demon, the fact remains your human now, too…."

The beast in Maou's chest that sought Emi's approval sat up and begged like a dog, hoping against hope that it was going to hear her say something enduring or perhaps something understanding, anything to get them closer. If Maou played his cards right and tuned his affections to a more platonic relationship, maybe they could work together to bring about the good he had envisioned.

"As such, I think that when you take my emotions, you actually end up being left with the after effects of them," Emi finished in a whisper.

Maou's eyes stared into Emi's, like a sea of green, so bright and vast that Maou could swim forever in the emerald waves of her irises, but her words tore him from his subtle observations of Emi's features. And with a surge, he realized she was right. Still, that didn't change the fact that the Demon King had fallen for the Hero, but now it made sense as to why he was taking it so hard. The fear and paranoia he'd absorbed last night must have been adversely affecting his own emotions and so he'd become ridiculously frightened of his love for her. It felt exhilarating though, admitting it to himself, never in a million years did he think he would fall in love, and with his former nemesis no less.

"I know it's gotta be tough for you," Emi said, "so thanks, and if you don't want to help me with this anymore, I understand…"

"No," Maou said. Letting his heart take over and guide his hand, he seized one of Emi's hands and held it in both of his own.

"No," he repeated, "I'll still help you with your emotions, I made a promise, and if it helps to solidify a future with you and me, I'll do it. It's not just for me anymore, this is for Ente Isla."

Maou knew his use of the words could be interpreted badly, but in a strange way, he found it liberating. In a sense, he'd not only confessed his feeling for Emi, he'd managed to turn it into a cause, an idea of peace and prosperity in another world. Of course, Emi could never be able to know of his true feelings, but if he could channel them into creating a better world for his loyal demon horde, and for the humans of Ente Isla, he'd use them to the fullest, and he would take his love for Emilia the Hero to the grave.

Emi was astonished by the sudden turnaround of events. Still, she knew all too well the toll those feelings could take on a person. All that sadness and fear had almost broken Emi earlier that morning, so for a Demon who did not often deal with severe emotions to suddenly suffer was to be expected. Still, the way he worded the proposition, the way he held her hand, it spoke to Emi on a deep level and she found those butterflies in her stomach alive and well as they danced about. Still, Maou couldn't be held responsible for his actions at this point, nor could he be held responsible for his poor choice of words. He had threatened to bash in his general's skull not even a few minutes ago for simply being near him. But even knowing that Maou was not himself, even knowing that he was dealing with her emotional run-off, she couldn't help but blush at the insinuation of a relationship between them. The visions of the previous night came back to her in force and she saw herself with Maou, and the little girl, the three of them seemingly one happy family. Emi pulled her hand from Maou's and he felt the fire in his soul fade and flicker as she broke the contact. Then, without warning, Emi hugged Maou. She threw her arms about his neck and rested her head against his shoulder.

"Thank you for helping me with all of this," Emi said, "and again, I'm sorry I hit you. I know the feelings are hard to fight, but I'm guessing that if you use up some magic, your body will turn the leftover emotions into magical power. And I've been thinking, if you do keep your word here and we finally return to Ente Isla, I'll help you smooth things over with the Church and the people. I doubt you'll be cleared, but hopefully we can avoid a beheading."

Maou felt his heartstrings pluck themselves to the rhythm of Emi's words. It seemed almost too good to be true, and then the full realization hit him. As a Demon who was essentially immortal until he was killed, he would either die before seeing the world he envisioned created, or he would live long after Emi had passed away, mourning her death like some sort of tragic wraith of love's creation. Emi pulled away from the hug and stood, turning to get back inside the apartment.

"Come on then," she said, "we should go back inside, hope you have a good cover story for what Urushihara saw…"

She went back inside without turning to see if Maou followed while he sat there, enveloped in his thoughts.

'The Great Demon Lord, Satan Jacob, has fallen in love with the Hero Emilia Justina… and she doesn't even know about it,' Maou thought to himself, 'way to screw the pooch on that one.'

 **Another chapter for all of you lovely Devils... not sure I like how this one turned out. It was filled with pointless drama and tension, and if you took a shot every time you saw the words 'feelings' or 'emotions' you'd die from alcohol poisoning. Something else I'd like to point out, I've looked and I've found the current translations for the light novels, so you guys can stop recommending them at any time! I also wanted to prolong this whole love thing between Maou and Emi, but I feel like I made the scene a little mushy, so people might mistake that for dating or something... no, in my book, Maou is having a tough time trying to deal with his unrequited feelings for Emi, while Emi struggles to work out exactly how she feels about the King of Demons. As of now, however, there is very little animosity between them, only way to go from here is up! If you're like me and you're missing some action, I think I'll have what you need in the next chapter or so, this fic needs a fight scene, with magic... and lightsabers! Nah, just kidding, no lightsabers guys... or maybe...**


	10. The Devil and the Hero: Abduction

Maou, having had his fill of Emi's intoxicating presence, decided to take it easy. He had so much riding on him that he decided to just ignore it all. He would ignore his feelings for Emi, he would ignore his duties to the demons of Ente Isla and he would ignore the concerned side glances of his subordinates. Urushihara in particular, who had come out to see Emi and Maou in a semi-compromising position, said nothing to Maou, and did not make contact. In fact, he kept himself glued to the computer and did not speak unless spoken to. Even when Maou asked if he was alright, Lucifer simply waved off the Demon King. His face betrayed no emotion, but Maou felt a deep and profound sense of dislike coming from Urushihara's small form. It was hard to think the guy once commanded the army of Heaven, second to only one…

Still, Maou took the rest of the morning easy, sitting with everyone else on the floor of the apartment, eating his breakfast and doing his best to avoid looking at Emi. She seemed unaffected by the entire thing, but then again why would she be? Maou had told her nothing, and she assumed his over the top behavior was because of the emotions he'd taken from her. In a sense, she was correct. Maou felt that if he hadn't been so hopped up on Emi's sadness and paranoia, he might have been a little kinder to Urushihara, but not that much. Lucifer had been a drain on both his coffers and his pantry. That damn guy needed a job if he was going to keep living like he was.

"Hey, Urushihara," Maou said, "I'm bringing home an application for MgRonalds on Monday, you're gonna fill it out and have it ready by the time I go in to work on Tuesday. I've managed to get Ms. Kisaki to jump you ahead of the other applicants, so on Tuesday you'll be dressing nicely and accompanying me to work for an interview. Don't blow it, man."

"Fine," Urushihara said, waving his hand in an 'I'm-Lucifer-and-I-don't-give-a-damn' fashion.

Maou took it with a grain of salt and swallowed through a mouthful of breakfast.

"I mean it, I need you to make a good impression! If you behave poorly, that reflects back on me in more ways than one!"

The statement brought a surreal sense of familiarity to Maou, as he often recalled thinking those words as his underlings in the demon army as they massacred their way across Ente Isla. Now that he thought of it, maybe it was best if he simply took care of things on his own, no demon army to screw things up and no Lucifer to get beaten by the Hero. The beautiful, gorgeous, clever, funny Hero…

'Dammit,' Maou thought, turning his head away from Emi so abruptly his neck cricked.

After an hour or so of lazy lounging, everyone had washed, dried, dressed and was ready to go, but none of them showed any desire to go home, in fact, they seemed rather content with sitting around and talking. Maou, on the other hand, was getting quite anxious of being stuck in such a small space with Emi, and the more he tried to block her out, the more he found that she was the barricade he'd built in his mind.

"Hey guys," Maou said, standing quickly and jerking his thumb over his shoulder at the door, "let's go for a walk, my legs are asleep and it's getting hot in here with all these people."

After a moment, they all agreed that fresh air would be good, and they left the apartment. For a while they wandered, going nowhere in particular. From a distance, they seemed like average high school or college age people, a close knit group of friends. Upon closer inspection, however, you could tell something was off about the group. Perhaps it was the way they looked like they were seeing everything in the city for the first time, or perhaps it was the girl in the kimono and the sandals, but something was most certainly off with the group. Or maybe, just maybe, it was the overwhelming sense that any one of them could kick your ass in a second without batting an eye, because they could. And they wore it proudly, like badges of honor as they walked through the streets. People who saw them seemed to stare for a moment, sure that the feeling that there was so much more to these people was just a fluke or a trick of their own minds.

"Oooh," Chiho said, eyeing up a large thrift store, "this looks awesome, let's go inside."

"A clothes store," Ashiya asked, rubbing his chin, "why should we take interest in such a place?"

"Well, maybe not you, but Emi, Suzuno and I could definitely use a new outfit or two," Chiho said happily, jumping up and down on the pavement.

"I'm fine in my kimono," Suzuno said, holding up a hand to stop Chiho's blathering about cute shorts and spaghetti strap tank tops and high heels.

"No," Chiho said, sticking out her tongue at Suzuno and gripping her wrist, dragging her into the store, "you need to look more lady like! Trust me, you'll love this!"

As Suzuno was abducted and dragged into the store, she grabbed the back of Emi's shirt and Emi was dragged along with them.

"I won't go down alone," Suzuno hissed at Emi with a look of sheer terror upon her face.

And so Chiho, the sixteen year old human girl dragged Suzuno and Emi into the store. As Emi was sucked into the abyss, she grabbed Maou's wrist and dragged him along too. Maou's heart stopped, his breathing shuddered and he felt himself melt as the Hero gripped his hand, pulling him with her. She had a look of savage triumph upon her face as she dragged the Devil to the doom of the secondhand clothing store.

Maou barely had the mental capacity to throw out his other hand, which Ashiya caught… before being dragged in himself. Urushihara stood there, looking disinterested, when a hand shot out and gripped his wrist as well.

It was Suzuno, blushing as she dragged Lucifer into the store.

"If I fall," she said dramatically, "so must all of you!"

Lucifer, who'd never before been so forcefully moved, staggered as Suzuno pulled him into the shop, the both of them blushing furiously. Lucifer found his legs and let himself be dragged, meeting everyone else on the inside of the building, gazing around at the vast selection of threads.

"Come on guys," Chiho said, "let's try to find some outfits!"

Usually, it seemed the store did not receive too much commerce, so when the shopkeeper saw the large group of young adults enter, he was politely surprised and ready for several sales. What he did not expect was for a sixteen year old girl to lead a movement of these young adults to try on just about anything and everything within sight. Emi was modest, and she shopped for a few new outfits, nothing over the top, just simple clothes for any occasion. Chiho, sadly, had to pull Suzuno away from a large rack of thick leather clothes that could've doubled for armor.

"I was just admiring the craftsmanship, that was a very durable pair of gloves," Suzuno exclaimed as she was forcefully pushed from the men's' section into the women's. Maou, however, found his comfort in trench coats and scarves, doing his best to mock up a cape for his eventual takeover of the world.

"What do you think, Ashiya," Maou asked, "should I wear this when I take over? Or should I go with the coat with the fur lining?"

"What's this about taking over the world," Emi said, crossing her arms and emerging from behind a rack of skirts in another aisle.

"I said take over, and when I say take over, I mean integrate demons with humans bringing peace, because unlike you I have goals, other than just killing my foes," Maou declared dramatically, using an arm to cast out his coat so that it flapped like a cape.

"Hmmm."

Emi scowled and stalked away, leaving Maou to feel quite ridiculous in his far too large coat. He held it out for Ashiya to take.

"It seems this one will not do, I'll need another one," he said, looking fondly at the coat.

"An excellent choice sire," Ashiya said, gazing at the price tag, "this one is far too expensive anyway. Perhaps we could try the costume section for a cape."

Meanwhile, Urushihara took a coat from the rack, looking it up and down. For all his time and effort spent searching, he'd finally found it, an almost exact replica of the coat he wore while serving as the Demon King's General. There were a few subtle differences in coloring and styling, but for the most part, the coat was almost exactly the same. Urushihara slipped it on and it fit like it was tailored for him. The sleeves were perfectly cut and form fitting, the buckles, when fastened, seemed to fit his chest perfectly. If he hadn't known any better, it might have been the exact same coat.

He took it and marched up to Maou, looking determined. He tossed it to the Demon King, who caught it and looked it over, recognizing it from having tried it on only a few minutes ago.

"I take it you want this," Maou said, looking at the price tag with disgust.

"Yes," Urushihara said, "I think I deserve it… consider it repayment."

"For what?"

Lucifer gripped Maou's shoulder in an iron grip and dragged him forward until Lucifer's lips were right next to Maou's ear.

"For not telling anyone about your secret."

Maou's eyes opened wide and he stepped back quickly, eyeing Lucifer's smirk with incredulousness. Maou pulled at his collar and began to sweat nervously.

"What… what secret would that be? Hehe… hehehe."

Lucifer leaned forward and once more he whispered, just loud enough for Maou to hear.

"I saw you and Emi last night, and again this morning. I am far more aware and in tune to these things than you make me to be."

"Two can play at that game," Maou said, stepping closer and scowling down at Urushihara, "for instance, I am well aware of your feelings… for her."

Maou nodded, and Urushihara followed Maou's gaze to find Suzuno, emerging from a fitting room and looking like a completely different person. She wore a mini skirt with leggings and a pair of heels that added an inch or so to her height. She also wore a white, flower patterned top with elbow length sleeves that dissolved into tassels by the time they reached her wrists. Her hair, still pinned with her magic weapon in the form of a red flower shaped pin, was still done as it usually was, but overall, she looked like a different person. It was Lucifer's turn to back away and look surprised now, but his eyes remained glued to Suzuno, who blushed at the rather figure cutting state of her clothing.

"You can't hide it from me, Lucifer. You mind has gone all soft and buttery and your emotions are… delectable, to say the least. No, this is something quite strange, a fallen archangel, in love with a human girl, the Bailiff of the Inquisition, the Death Scythe. Tell me Lucifer, what was it that drew you too her, hmm?"

Maou turned Lucifer to that they both faced Suzuno as she emerged from the fitting room, talking with Chiho about the clothes. Maou threw an arm over Urushihara's shoulders as he sized up the two of them.

"Was it her faraway attitude? The fact that she could kill you and you wouldn't even know it? Or maybe it was something else… something deeper, a profound sense of connection between the two of you. I mean, look at you guys, both of you are rebels, running from the injustice of the Church and Heaven respectively. You were both warriors and assassins, made to smite enemies, only to leave your posts… but I think the reasons for your leaving are so drastically different, she'd never see you in that light. Look at her, for example, she left the Church because she never thought she would kill someone, much less all those innocents. She has the blood of goodness knows how many people on her hands, the lives of countless men and women, silenced by the vile Church. And then there's you," Maou said in an undertone, "a cruel, heartless bastard who left because he found being the leader of the archangels boring. Now, riddle me this, how do you compare to the girl of your affections? Hmm?"

"Fine," Lucifer said, "don't buy the coat, I'll put it back."

"No, I'll buy it for you," Maou said, "but I have a few… stipulations."

"And they are?"

"First off, you are never to tell anyone about any of the contents of our conversation. Do you understand what that means? I forbid you to tell Suzuno anything about your feelings. I have a mission to lead demonkind to a brighter future, and you will not stand in my way of achieving this goal," Maou said.

Urushihara looked furious for a moment, but then he sighed. He'd made an oath to serve under Satan Jacob and he couldn't break it now.

"Fine, anything else?"

"Secondly, after I buy this coat, I want you to get the job at MgRonalds I was talking about and you will use your first check to pay me back for it. I can't afford to pay rent, utilities and buy this thing."

Urushihara sighed. It was going to be a long week, it seemed.

"Deal."

They stood there, looking at each other, arms folded and eyes narrowed, and then Urushihara sighed again.

"So… Emi, huh?"

Maou looked around before responding, making sure the coast was clear.

"About that, what you saw was… well it wasn't what you thought it was."

"Oh? And what would…."

A look of understanding dawned upon the face of the fallen angel, and his violet eyes widened.

"You've been stealing her emotions," he said quietly, "you've been working her into fits and taking her emotions for you own magical gain."

"No," Maou said shortly, "we made a deal, I get her emotions, she feels better. I'm still working to establish peace, so I need you to keep your mouth shut and to do your best to help it along."

"So you two aren't…"

"No," Maou said, lying about his feelings for Emi, "it's a rocky partnership, but so far it works and I can't have it blown up by a loose yapper. Understand?"

"You can count on me… now can I have some money, I wanna wear this thing," Urushihara said, taking the coat from Maou and holding out a hand for money.

Maou put a fistful of yen into Lucifer's hand and Urushihara made a mad dash for the register, but to his displeasure, someone got there first.

"Oh, hello good Urushihara," Suzuno said, slightly stumbling over her new heels, "curse these shoes."

"What, are you actually buying this stuff?"

"Yes, I seem to have misplaced my kimono, so now I have no choice but to try and pay for everything without disrobing. Good Urushihara, if you would set aside your coat, I would like to recruit your help in securing the tags on these clothes so the good patron of this establishment can charge me accordingly."

Urushihara set his coat on the counter, and soon enough, he was working to find and remove all of the tags upon Suzuno. It was rather intense and delicate, like disarming a bomb. His hands shook every time he got close to her body. He knelt down and gently grasped the tag on her miniskirt before ripping it off for her. Suzuno gripped the counter and blushed furiously as Lucifer worked to find every last tag, his closeness and proximity to her made her feel like she were floating upon a cloud.

The shopkeeper averted his eyes, wondering who these people were, and finally, Lucifer rose from under the counter, grasping the tags for Suzuno's outfit in one hand. He set them all down upon the counter and leaned in close to grab his coat, gently bumping into Suzuno as he did so. Suzuno's face turned beat red as Urishihara Hanzo accidentally pressed himself upon her in an attempt to reach his coat. She whipped about, her face scandalized as she eyed Lucifer warily. He tossed his coat over one arm, his own face turning magenta. He clasped his hands and bowed to Suzuno, over and over again.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry."

"You're gonna be," Crestia Bell said in the language of Ente Isla.

Meanwhile, Maou and Ashiya were still trying on coats, Ashiya having returned with a wide selection to choose from.

"I found them on clearance," Ashiya said, "you can try them on in a moment, but first, I found this…"

Ashiya held up a cloak. It was thick and well made, a true masterpiece to be found in a secondhand store.

"I believe it was sold by one who attends renaissance fairs and the like, sire, please try it on."

Maou did, loving the feel of it against his back as it made him stand straight and tall, looking out regally over the secondhand thrift shop.

"This is nice," Maou said, "but it's kind of on the plain side, isn't it? I need something grand and classy, Ashiya, otherwise I could just wear my cape to the celebrations of world domination."

"That is easily remedied, my lord, if you can save up and buy me a needle and any sort of accessories you might want on this cloak, I can make it finer than the Good Vestments of the Pope!"

"Good day, Lord Satan Jacob, Ruler of Demons."

Maou felt a chill creep through him, the voice was slick and deep, like oil. It also spoke in Ente Islan, a highly formal and constricting form of it: the Language of Ente Isla's angels. Maou slowly turned to find a young man behind him. Roughly his own age with a slim build, yet lean and toned like a runner. He wore an elegant suit, entirely black, with a large violet handkerchief in his sports jacket's pocket and a fine gold chain running from the button of his vest to a small pocket on it. His cuffs links were gold like his chain, adorned with a large black letter 'B', probably made of some black diamond or something. Maou, however, did not see his wealth of refinery, nor his handsome and roguish charm, Maou saw an angel.

The angel had hair darker than the blackest of nights and purple eyes that were so dark, they might've been black. He smiled at both Maou and Ashiya, both of whom were immediately on guard.

"So it is you," said the angel, rubbing his chin, "interesting. I wonder when you got here… no matter, I never thought I'd see anyone from Ente Isla here."

"Who are you," Maou asked, "and why are you here? You're from Ente Isla, that much is for sure, but-"

"You mean you don't recognize me? Lucifer hasn't spoken of me at all?"

"No, he hasn't mentioned anything to me about angels with uncommonly expensive fashion sense and creepy, silky smooth voices," Maou replied, never taking his eyes from the man, not even for a second.

Urushihara, from the front of the shop, turned to find his friends after having paid for his coat, and found them talking to someone. A moment passed before he recognized the man, his violet eyes opening wide with fear as he ran for them.

"Maou," Lucifer said loudly, "Ashiya!"

Maou's eyes snapped between the angel and Lucifer for a fraction of a second, but that was all it took. With a sharp jab, the angel placed a finger to Ashiya's forehead, making him vanish in a swirl of black mist. Maou, noticing Ashiya's disappearance only moments too late, leapt backward out of reach and stared lividly at the angel.

"Sorry about that," said the young man in the fine black suit, "but it's best if I have a little leverage. Anyway, if you want your general back, I expect you to hand over your fragment of Yesod."

"My what now," Maou asked, dumbstruck for a second.

Lucifer, Suzuno and finally Emi all raced to Maou's side, the four of them faced off against this strange and foreign person in the swanky suit. Even with all of his power, Maou felt something about this guy send shivers down his spine.

"What's going on," Emi hissed, "where's Ashiya?"

"He has him."

Maou jabbed an accusatory finger at his adversary and the man smiled, putting on a pair of two toned sunglasses, probably Bay-Rans or some other fancy brand.

"That I do, and if you want him back, you'll have to agree to meet me for a trade. I'll bring your general, you bring your fragment of Yesod."

"I order you to stand down," Lucifer said regally, slashing a hand through the air.

Everyone in the room felt temptation to follow and obey Urushihara's command, but it seemed to send the well-dressed man with the shoulder length raven hair into a fit of what could only be described as intense pleasurable giggles.

"Oooohhohoho," said the angel, shivering and shaking, "that was good. I remember having to follow your every command. Not only was it nostalgic, it was an excellent reminder of how much stronger I am now. Come on, Lucy, do it again, for old time's sake."

"How did you manage to disobey me," Lucifer asked.

"A lot has changed, my good Lucy, a lot indeed. For instance, you might not recognize these, as they came only after you'd left Heaven for the demon world."

The angel frowned and from his back spread a large pair of wings, bird like and feathery, but not white and pure, they were black as well, matched only by the man's suit and hair. He held out his arms wide and smiled.

"Eh? You like what you see, Lucy? I suppose you think I followed in your footsteps, but that's not the case. I was destined to leave Heaven, you knew that I think. Somewhere between the rivalry and the treating me like a piece of shit, I'm pretty sure you could sense it coming."

Urushihara looked at the angel with disdain, frowning at the man he once called a subordinate during his time serving in Heaven. The man, however, ignored Lucifer's burning purple gaze and glanced down at his watch, which looked like a golden Pollex.

"I'm sorry boys, but I have to run, I'll see you… at the Edo Tokyo Museum, tonight at say… 9 o'clock?"

"I'll be there," Maou said savagely, "you can count on it."

"Excellent," said the young man, "well, that's all I have, ta ta for now!"

The angles wings flapped once and lifted him off of the floor. With another flap, he crashed through the great glass windows of the clothes store, sending shards of glass everywhere, and with a third and final flap he disappeared, flying straight up.

"Urushihara," Maou asked, "who the hell was that?"

Lucifer did not acknowledge Maou's voice though, he took a running start and dived through the shattered remains of the window, his wings catching him before he hit the ground outside and sending him shooting skyward.

"Urushihara, wait!"

But by the time Maou had made it to the window, there was nothing out there. After a moment, Maou gripped the glass on the window as hard as he could and kicked the wall underneath it. Within a matter of seconds, his closest affiliates and his dearest friends, the Demon Generals, had been taken.

"Bastard," shouted Maou, making a few people stare at him.

"Bastard," shouted the shopkeeper, looking up at the sky and shaking a fist.

Meanwhile, Urushihara was hot on the tail of the angel, chasing him as he flew through the skies, his elegant suit flapping in the wind as he soared as fast as he could across the bright blue sky.

"Lucy! I wasn't expecting you to follow me! What can I do for you? I'm late for a business meeting so you'll have to make this fast!"

"Why are you running," Lucifer shouted, dodging between buildings as the angel tried to shake him off, "why did you take Ashiya?"

"I would love to explain, but again, I'm busy!"

The angel turned and fired a blast of black energy at Lucifer, who countered with a spherical shield of amethyst. Arcs of the black beam split and ricocheted off in every direction, like a spoon under a faucet.

"Geez, you sure are persistent," said the suited angel as he flapped again, sending him shooting forward as fast as he could. He looked back only to find Lucifer had disappeared. Still, an immediate sense of danger tickled at his brain and suddenly he knew where Lucifer was.

Lucifer had risen higher than his swanky counterpart, high above him like a bird of prey, and when the angel looked back to try and spot him, Lucifer dived. He fell upon the other angel like a hawk upon a snake, but from within his suit the angel pulled out a katana. As he spun through the air, intent upon slicing Lucifer clean in half, the sword hummed to life, flickering black flames running along the curved blade. Lucifer countered with a crudely made sword of violet energy and sparks flew as they began to exchange blows.

"Come on, man, REALLY," shouted the angel, "give me a break, this suit is gonna wrinkle!"

But Lucifer fought harder, even though he felt his strength draining fast. Finally, after several, fierce and powerful strikes, Lucifer's energy sword fell from his hands and spiraled towards the ground, far below, shattering into sparkles as it went. They were now floating, completely still, the dark angel's katana levelled at Urushihara, who raised his hands.

"You've gone soft," the angel said, "you were always the stronger combatant, while I excelled at the magical side of things…."

"You've changed quite a bit, haven't you, Bernael," Lucifer asked as they hovered in a district of Tokyo with many tall towers and skyscrapers of glass and steel, about even with the buildings' highest floors.

"Oh, you remembered my name," shouted Bernael over the howling wind, "I'm glad, I was scared you might have forgotten."

"How could I forget you," Lucifer asked, "you were always a little rebel… and a punk."

"Not one to talk now, though, are you," Bernael said thoughtfully, "I mean, look at who's on the end of whose sword. It would seem that you've fallen from grace and from power. Now, if you don't mind, I have to leave."

As Bernael made to sheathe his sword, Lucifer struck, a punch that could break the bones of an elephant and tear through human rib cages with ease. Lucifer's fist was caught though, held tightly in a gloved hand as Bernael smiled as Lucifer, crushing his fingers with his hand.

"Wow," Bernael commented, "I knew I had gotten strong, but this is ridiculous. Are you sure you're Lucifer?"

With a kick, Urushihara was sent flying down towards the concrete. He looked up at the sky to find his enemy shooting off towards a tall skyscraper. Lucifer flipped and his wings kept him afloat as he stared in the direction of Bernael's choosing. There he was, a black spot with wings, and ahead of him stood a great, towering building of glass and metal, bearing a logo that was all too familiar to Lucifer. It was the logo for Fony, who designed, created, and sold various pieces of technology, including Urushihara's PASTA console, and many others.

Meanwhile, back at the Devil's Castle, Maou was pacing about and fuming about the loss of two of his generals. Sure, the bills would be slightly less morbid without Lucifer, but Ashiya's loss was a major setback.

"Son of a BITCH!"

Maou kicked his table over, frightening the three girls who were there to try and calm him down. He looked manic, almost entirely deranged. He was shaking and holding his stomach, trying to get a sense of self. He hadn't been alone in this world since he first set foot in it. First there was Ashiya, to support him, then his coworkers, and finally Lucifer, but with two of his most loyal compatriots gone, what was he to do?

"Maou," Emi said, standing up and giving him a look that could turn milk sour, "let me see your hands."

Maou held them out without a second thought.

"See?"

Blood gently dripped onto the floor and Maou stared at it. He had completely forgotten about the cuts he'd received when he'd been holding the bottom of the shattered window. Emi fixed the table and sat Maou down at it. Once more, she worked her magic, cleaning the wounds and removing any shards of glass still embedded in his skin. After she'd done that, she bound them tightly with some medical tape from Maou's medi-kit. He looked down with disbelief at his hands. The pain was coming back now, and the shock that he had lost two of his closest friends now stung painfully in his heart, almost rivaling the pangs he had felt when Emi bandaged him up. Suzuno began to wipe up the blood from the floor, but Maou stopped her, taking the cloth in his hands.

"I'll do it myself," he said, wiping it up. Suzuno watched him work with concern; back and forth he ran the rag across the floor, the labor taking his mind from the pain. Or perhaps it was the pain that made it all feel so real, because Maou could barely believe what had happened. In his mind's eye, he replayed the scene over and over, Ashiya vanishing in a burst of black energy, Lucifer diving through the window and shooting towards the sky on a pair of black wings… the thought made him feel sick and he stopped scrubbing the floor, sitting back down at the table and laying his head upon it while Suzuno got up and made tea. Emi stayed by Maou's side and placed a gentle hand upon his shoulder. Emi never thought she would see the Devil so wrecked by the loss of his companions. Sure, Urushihara was annoying and useless, and Ashiya was overbearing and nosy, but the fact remained that he thought better of them than he did anyone else. They were the ones with whom he'd spent the better part of his life, fighting and struggling, clawing their way from obscurity to become high ranking members of the most powerful army in Ente Isla.

"Ashiya is ok," Emi said, "that creep will keep him alive, you'll see. He won't hurt Ashiya until he gets what he's after."

"He's alive for the moment," Maou said sadly, "that doesn't mean he'll survive the night."

"If need be, Suzuno and I can-"

"Can what," Maou asked, staring daggers at Emi. She might have been the only other thing he'd ever wanted more than peace and prosperity for his people, but at the moment, she was useless to him, they all were.

"Will you whip the city into a frenzy so I can fight this guy? No? Will you blow up buildings and sew terror so that I can save my subordinate? NO! What will you do? What CAN you do? Can you even tell me what a Yesod or whatever the hell it is does? Can you get one for me?! NO! YOU ARE ALL USELESS!"

Maou struck the table hard, causing his wounds to reopen and for blood to seep into the bandages and drip on the table. Tears began to spill from Maou's eyes as he bawled pathetically for the loss of his friends. Emi, however, did not take kindly to Maou's insults nor his boorish behavior. With one hand, she lifted his head from the table by the scruff of his neck, and with the other, she sank her fist into his gut, just hard enough to make Maou cough and splutter indignantly.

"Crying isn't going to fix this," Emi said loudly, "action will! We are going to go to that museum and we are going to get Ashiya back, Yesod or no Yesod! You are gonna get up and coordinate this rescue mission like a king, goddammit! Hold you head high, put on your cape if you need to and stop being such a little pansy already! Ashiya is counting on you!"

Emi didn't say it as she shook Maou by the neck of his shirt, but in a sense, she found that she needed Maou to be strong for her too. Ashiya was a part of Emi's life now, and she was hurt by his loss too, but Maou's sudden and tragic change after Ashiya's abduction was more than Emi could bear, and it made her feel hopeless to watch a man who once held the world in his hands cry like a child. Maou glared at Emi, his red eyes glowing. After a moment, Emi realized that Maou was taking her anger for himself, increasing his strength. Emi, who would've equated this to an assault upon her person not even two days ago, now smiled as the Devil got with the program. Emi focused and with a smile, she resumed shaking the Demon King, telling him all the things she'd ever wanted to and shouting as he drained her of emotions.

"You are a stupid piece of crap, and I've been waiting for you die so I can spit on your headstone," Emi said, channeling her old self, and every ounce of hatred, sadness and fear she could muster.

"I was so scared of you, but then I met you here and I thought I must have had the wrong Satan, but then it turns out that you're just a gigantic wimp," Emi shouted in Satan's face.

After several minutes of name calling, blaming and the overall expenditure of her negative emotions, Emi was left feeling tired, while Maou positively glowed.

"Well," he said in a deep, demonic voice, "I'm glad we cleared the air on that."

Chiho and Suzuno were both sitting on the other side of the table, with their mouths open wide, staring at Maou and Emi's display.

"Emilia," Suzuno asked, "why did you give good Sadao your emotions?"

"Long story," Emi said, "but he needs the power, we're going to be fighting this guy tonight, and I don't know that we have enough power to beat him."

"Believe me," said Lucifer, opening the door to the apartment and shuffling inside, looking beaten down and travel worn, "we don't."

He fell forward onto the carpet, but was caught by Suzuno, who held him close and shook his face.

"Good Urushihara," Suzuno said, "wake up. Urushihara, are you all right?"

He moaned and opened his eyes to find himself in the arms of a beautiful woman with Prussian colored hair and aqua blue eyes.

"I chased him and…"

Lucifer fainted, but Maou swept over and held out a hand over Urushihara, pouring some of his strength into his general, causing his wounds to heal some and making him wake with a sharp intake of breath.

"Lucifer," Maou said, "what happened? Did you learn anything?"

Urushihara scrambled out of Suzuno's arms, looking frightened for a moment before he once more turned to Maou, whose eyes were glowing with bloody light and whose black, misty aura permeated his being.

"It was someone I used to know," Urushihara said, causing everyone to stare at Lucifer in wonder.

"Who," Maou asked, "give me a name."

"Bernael," Urushihara said after a moment, "a minor angel, now fallen. He's an angel of Darkness and Evil, but I've never known him to be so powerful. He used to be a runt with a really big attitude and ego."

"So he was like you," Emi asked, crossing her arms.

"No," Urushihara said, "I had followers, I had command of a legion of angels. I had power and I had respect. Like I said, he was a minor angel, but he seemed to think he was a God."

 **Alright, so here is another chapter In this fic. What, did you think it was done? Psh. Anywho, I added a bit more action here to spice it up, it's also double the average word count, as I am trying to extend my chapters. I think it's working quite well. Now, to clarify a few things, there are companies in this story that are the Devil is a Part Timer equivalent of real life companies, for instance, McDonalds is MgRonalds. The ones that I myself added to the story are as follows.**

 **Pollex=Rollex**

 **Bay Rans=Ray Bans**

 **Fony=Sony**

 **Now, there is the subject of this mysterious new antagonist, known as Bernael. He was perfect for the roll, and I'm glad there was so little on him, because that allowed me to shape him into the character he is now. Yes, Bernael is an OC, based on a fallen angel of Darkness and Evil. I swear I will only be adding one more (that I know of.) I hope you've enjoyed the story thus far, read on, Devils!**


	11. The Devil and the Hero: Raphael

"So, he's just some punk angel that's too big for his britches," Maou asked, looking over Urushihara, who looked like he'd been beaten pretty badly, "how'd he beat you then?"

"I don't know," Lucifer said, "but I think we have a bigger problem."

"And that is?"

"I think he's a higher up for a large company. With his kind of power and resources, we may very well see a hitman or a police set up if we don't comply with his demands," Urushihara said.

"You've been watching too many cop shows," Maou said, shrugging off Lucifer's words, "we'll find him and we'll beat him until he gives Ashiya back."

"I don't think we can-"

"Whether or not we can, we have no other choice," Maou said loudly, drowning out Urushihara's doubts, "we don't have whatever he's looking for, and he won't just accept that, will he? No, we have to fight. We have to hope we can get Ashiya back. There has to be something we can do!"

"I have a few ideas," said an unfamiliar voice.

From the door, which was hanging wide open, came the voice of a man, deep and mature, yet still in the prime of his life. He looked around at the assembled people and finally gave a polite bow, stepping into the apartment.

"Um… who are you," Emi asked, getting ready to summon her sword in case he was hostile.

"I am the Archangel Raphael, and I'm currently working with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department to find and remove Bernael, who it seems is beginning to build and stockpile magical power. Even from Ente Isla, we were able to sense his malignant presence growing stronger, and we decided to investigate."

Everyone looked in awe at the man, who could've very well passed for a detective or a private investigator. He had short brown hair and his eyes were red, yet they instilled a sense of passion and warmth, rather than evil and hatefulness. He had a neatly trimmed goatee, and upon his neck was a tattoo of a heart with an arrow through it. Under his tan trench coat he wore a plain suit, and judging from the bulge at his side, he was carrying a firearm.

"You're Raphael," Emi asked, raising an eyebrow, "the Archangel?"

"Yes, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Emilia Justina, and yours, Satan Jacob."

"Urushihara," Maou said quickly, "can you confirm this is-"

"Lucifer," Raphael said, eyeing Lucifer with a mixture of dislike and awe, "I heard you were missing, but I thought you'd died. It's good to see you."

"I wish I could say the same," Urushihara said, "I take it you're here to assassinate me? Or maybe to take me back to heaven for divine punishment?"

"As a matter of fact," Raphael said, stepping further inside the apartment and shutting the door behind him, "I'm not. I was sent only to investigate Bernael, and when I tailed him I saw him talking to you guys. Finally I saw him bust straight through the shop window, and I saw you, Lucifer, give chase, and suddenly I saw the Devil and the Hero as well, along with the Bailiff of the Inquisition. Official sources indicate you are all simply missing in Ente Isla."

"Hold on, you're an angel? You look more like an average cop."

"I've been here for some time, tailing Bernael, tracking his whereabouts, and the whereabouts of one of his accomplices who came here with him," Raphael explained.

"So… you're not going to take me in," Urushihara asked.

"You're not gonna try to steal my sword," Emi asked.

"You're not gonna try to kill me," Maou asked.

"Nope," Raphael said, raising an eyebrow at the three.

"Huh," Emi, Maou and Lucifer all said, their heads tilting with bewilderment. Maybe all angels weren't creepy, short stalkers that enjoyed torturing people.

"That being said, I'd like to take a statement from all of you," Raphael said quickly, pulling out a notepad and smiling like he had the best job in the world.

"Hold on a sec… you actually are a cop?!"

"Yup! Now, I'm still getting the hang of Japanese, so don't talk to fast! And then I'll need your fingerprints , too."

"What do you need fingerprints for," Suzuno asked, eyeing the large archangel with distrust.

"For my collection," he said happily, pulling out a large manila envelope from within the folds of his trench coat and showing them all a thick sheaf of papers, all of which seemed to have been copied from official police paperwork and filled out by seemingly anyone Raphael could get to participate.

"Wait, so you're not a cop," Urushihara asked.

"Oh, I'm a cop," Raphael said, "but I'm also an avid collector of fingerprints. Not sure why, the human fingerprint is just so mesmerizing and detailed, to think that you can identify individual people just by looking at one's fingerprint is astounding."

"But what about your fingerprints," Chiho asked, "why don't you admire your own?"

"I don't have any," Raphael said, "or I should say, I do, but they are… generic, I guess, manufactured so that I am not under suspicion while I'm here."

"Oh," Chiho said.

"I think we'll all pass on the fingerprints… and the statements," Maou said slowly, trying not to completely crush the large archangel's hobbies.

"Hold on a moment," Suzuno said, "you spoke of one of Bernael's accomplices? Who exactly are you talking about?"

"I am not at liberty to discuss that information with you," Raphael said, becoming serious and stony faced, though from his reaction, it was not someone to be trifled with.

"Raphael," Lucifer began, I command you to reveal-"

"I really shouldn't," Raphael said, shivering a little and looking over his shoulder, all eyes upon him.

"Give us a name, dammit," Maou said, striding forward, "one of my subordinates is in danger!"

"Demons are not my concern," Raphael said.

"Unless your superiors command it," Urushihara said, "I always thought you to be a compassionate and loving person. Wasn't it you that always spouted that life is sacred?"

"War changes people," Raphael said, looking extremely duressed by everyone's pestering.

"Ashiya could die," Maou said, looking Raphael in the eye where he knelt by the table in the center of the apartment, "I know of you, Raphael. Even during the war, you were always one of the kindest and most honorable opponents the demons faced. You took prisoners when others showed no quarter, and you delighted in learning about culture from the various demons you took captive. I know because many of them made it back alive. Now I understand you may be restricted, but if the information could save a life, then it's very important you share it with us. I tell you what, if we can beat Bernael, you can take him in and I'll get my General back. Everyone wins."

"You can't go up against Bernael," Raphael said indignantly, "he's an angel-"

"Was an angel," Urushihara corrected, sitting down at the laptop and typing as fast as he could, though Maou didn't know why.

"-was an angel, and is now a fallen angel of Darkness," Raphael finished, "and since he fell from grace, he's become more powerful than you can imagine."

"I kinda called that one," Lucifer interrupted again, still typing away madly, his fingers dancing across the small keyboard of the laptop.

"Like hell you did, you picked on him more than any of the other angels, you were horrible to him," Raphael stated.

"Yeah," Urushihara said, looking at Raphael with hard violet eyes, "because I could sense that without being shackled down by all those bastards in Heaven, he'd actually become much stronger. An angel of Darkness ,serving the light? That's like Maou trying to ingest Celestial Force, it weakens him, and that's exactly why Heaven held onto dear of Bernael for as long as possible: so that he couldn't grow stronger. Him and that one angel he was in love with-"

Urushihara broke off, his eyes wide and his hands beginning to shake.

"That's who it is," Urushihara said suddenly, looking at Raphael for confirmation, "it's his girlfriend, Beliel, she's his accomplice."

"Beliel," Maou asked, "isn't she evil?"

"Yeah," Raphael said quietly, not looking at anyone.

"She's literally the incarnation of Evil, some called her the sworn enemy of God, his true opposite. As an angel, she was in charge of finding Evil and squashing it out. She was a strong warrior, probably one of Heaven's best, but she was also ridiculed for being an angel of Evil, as such, she was also given the title of Worthlessness and Uselessness. I mean, an angel of Evil? Kinda useless, right?"

"But now she and her boy toy have fallen from grace," Maou said, crossing his arms, "and they've become much more of a threat than Heaven could've guessed they would, so they sent you, Raphael, here to wipe them out."

Raphael said nothing, but from the fearful look in his eyes, Maou had hit the nail on the head. Urushihara nodded and tilted his head, still typing away furiously.

"That's sounds about right to me," he said wearily.

"Shut up, Lucifer," Raphael said.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!"

Urushihara's eyes bored into Raphael's, the red meeting the purple in a fierce mental battle. However, Raphael soon crumbled under Urushihara's glare.

"Listen here, Raphael, if you and yours made the mess, then why do you think we'll help you clean it up," Lucifer asked, turning his gaze back to his laptop.

"What do you mean," Raphael asked, looking around at everyone in a confused manner.

"Well, why else would you follow us here, why not just take Bernael and Beliel out by yourself? Or do you find that even you aren't a match for them anymore?"

"I came here to investigate what Bernael is after, if I can figure that out, then maybe I can stop him," Raphael said defensively, holding up his hands.

"Something called a fragment of Yesod," Maou said, waving a hand dismissively, "never heard of the thing, but that isn't the issue at hand, my friend is in danger and Bernael has taken him hostage. Emi, Suzuno, Lucifer and myself are all strong, but if what you guys say is true, Bernael and Beliel are strong too, very strong. We'll need someone to help us take them down," Maou said, looking meaningfully at Raphael, whose warm scarlet eyes met Maou's bloody crimson ones and through their connection, allowed Raphael to sense Maou's unhappiness with the situation and the compassion he had for his friend.

'Maybe this Devil isn't all that bad, it seems he truly cares for his comrades,' Raphael thought before making his decision.

"I'll help you," Raphael stated to the room, "however, we do this my way, I am the one responsible for Bernael's capture and relocation and I won't have you ruining my operation."

"Fair enough, but if I sense that Ashiya is in danger and you are not doing all within your power to help me recover my General, I will disregard any orders you give to make sure he comes home safe, understand? My only objective is my friend, and your angel is nothing more than another obstacle in my path that I intend to remove."

For a moment, Maou felt his former rank as the Demon King fall upon his brow once more, the crown heavy upon his head. Urushihara, however, did not sound very convinced of Maou's valiance.

"You may find him hard to remove, Maou," he said tiredly, looking extremely sleepy at his computer, "looks like he's much higher up than I thought. Turns out Bernael and Beliel are the CEO's of Fony Inc. I hacked into the company's database to find them, but I couldn't find any matches, all I found was a picture of them at a Christmas party a long time ago."

Urushihara turned the screen and showed Maou a picture that was clearly very old. It must have been sixty or seventy years old, but there, in the picture, was Bernael, clear as day. The photo was faded with time and deterioration, but the fallen angel's face was unmistakable. It looked like a company picture, with lots of employees, and there, in the margins, was a scrawled list of names.

"Bernie and Bel, the CEO's of Fony," Raphael read aloud, looking closely at the picture.

"This is fake, right," Maou asked, "there's no way they're that old."

"No, this is real, and I have reason to believe that they have been here much longer than we know. How else would they have managed to rise to such prestigious heads of their company? No, they have been here for years, decades, maybe even a century or two," Raphael said.

Maou took a closer look at the girl hanging on Bernael's arm. She looked young, very young, but something about the small smile on her face and the deep sadness buried within her eyes gave off a sense of age and experience, like the eyes of an ancient sage plastered upon a young woman's face. There was something eerily familiar about her to Maou and he noticed that she was quite beautiful, though the photo was in black and white, so no colors were visible. Bernael himself looked rather moody and he scowled at the camera grumpily, as if he'd rather be doing almost anything else. His sense of style was still intact, and he looked like a member of the old Yakuza gangs, with a large fedora hat and a swanky suit. Even so, he still looked just as he had only a few hours ago when he'd abducted Ashiya. Maou felt his stomach do a somersault as he thought about Bernael's face. That bastard would pay for hurting Ashiya. Maou would make sure of it, and he didn't give a crap if he crossed the line, he would wipe the floor with the Angel of Darkness and take back his friend, one way or another.

"So you're saying that Bernael might have been here a hundred years ago," Emi asked, still looking unconvinced.

"Possibly, maybe even longer than that, we aren't entirely sure what date he came here, but this is the oldest evidence I've seen of his existence, and I'm guessing that Urushihara cracked into Bernael's computer to get this picture," Raphael said, glancing at Lucifer.

"Yeah, I got it right from Bernael's personal laptop. It was the only thing I could get before they booted me off the network though," he said, exhaling.

"Hold on a sec, Urushihara, could they have traced your IP address back here," Maou asked, "or is there any evidence that you hacked into their network? I can't be held legally responsible for you hacking a company's networking system, I'll miss work!"

"Now who's been watching too many cop shows," Urushihara said with a sour face.

"Just answer my question."

"No, there's no way they could know it was me. Bernael might suspect me, but any evidence implicating me is now…gone."

Urushihara tapped quickly at the keys and vigorously hit the mousepad, a large screen popping up that said something about a system restore. Within seconds, the computer had been wiped of the last half hour's activity and no one would ever know.

"So you've deleted all the evidence," Maou said, "can't they run a key logging program to see what you've been typing though?"

"Not without probable cause, and seeing as the only thing they would be able to pick up was a recent system restore, there's no way that anything I have would prompt them to do so. We're safe, from the authorities anyway…."

"Now we just have to worry about this fallen angel," Suzuno said grimly, "I think that we should all go to meet him. I bet he'll bring his accomplice with him, just in case."

"Chiho," Maou said, looking into the corner where she sat silently, "I think you should leave."

"Are you sure," she asked quietly, looked positively petrified at the thought of leaving the apartment.

"She can't leave," Emi said quickly, "Bernael has seen her, she could be in danger at home if he decides to attack there as well. You forget that just because the police won't come for us doesn't mean he won't."

"He won't," Maou said, "if he thinks we have the Yesod, I don't think he'd risk a messy kidnapping attempt now that we are all on high alert, and just because he's seen Chi doesn't mean he knows where she lives or who she is, he might have just thought her a random bystander, a normal person with no magic! If she stays here, then she'll be in danger, but for now the safest place for her is at home."

"I'll go," Chiho said, standing and looking rather pale, "but I'll try to get a hold of you guys tomorrow or something to make sure you're alright."

"We'll be fine, trust me, we'll bring back Ashiya and deal with this angel in no time," Maou said, winking at Chi, who immediately forgot her fright and became flustered. She gathered her things with a red face and left as the sun set in the sky.

"You really shouldn't take advantage of her feelings to get her to listen to your commands," Suzuno hissed at Maou, who scowled at her with a manic fire in his eyes.

"She needed to go, I did it for her own good."

"But still-"

"Once again, the Bailiff of the Inquisition shows a lack of moral fortitude and empathy," Maou said, shaking his head, "maybe you should go to your own apartment, I'll take care of this by myself."

"First off, stop being a jackass," Emi said, striding up behind Maou and thrusting her fist into the back of his head, making him intake a sharp breath and rub the welt he was forming furiously, "second off, you both have valid points, but we need to focus on the matter at hand. Even if it seems there are no other options than combat, we should at least consider all the possibilities."

Emi sat at the table, so that it was one of them on each side and Urushihara at the computer. Aside from Lucifer, it appeared to be a somber meeting between Generals, or perhaps a council deciding the fate of the world. In reality, it was a Demon King in a young man's body, a Hero in a rather boring outfit, a small clergywoman in a kimono, and a large, muscular angel with a heart tattoo upon his neck, all deciding what to do in what seemed like a hopeless situation.

"Raphael, seeing as you are the leader of this mission, I think you should share your ideas with us first," Emi said, looking pointedly at the angel.

"I have one," Suzuno interrupted, staring daggers at Maou, "why don't we just let Maou do this all by himself. Chances are if he does, no one is getting out of that museum alive, then we can go back to Ente Isla as heroes and get rewarded for slaying the Devil when in actuality he fell victim to his own emotions and ego."

"Big talk from such a short woman," Maou sneered vehemently.

"You won't remember me as short when I crush you!"

"Bring it on, murderer!"

"Deceiver!"

"Church dog!"

"Lord of Idiots!"

"Old woman!"

"Excuse me?!"

Maou smiled, knowing he'd found chink in Suzuno's armor.

"That's right, I called you old. Just how old are you, Suzuno, hmm? Far older than Emi, I think, and yet you look so young. I must say, for a grandma you still look and act very young and naive."

"Don't talk to Suzuno like that," Urushihara said loudly, turning from his computer to face Maou.

"I'll speak to her however I like," Maou hollered imperiously.

"Suzuno is trying to help you, in her own weird way," Emi interjected loudly, "she's pointing out that you will need all the help you can get, and that distancing yourself from us isn't going to help Ashiya!"

"Everyone shut up," bellowed Raphael, causing everyone to look at the large man who was now pulsating with a bright red aura that seemed to strip away the hostility like a power washer on a decades old paintjob. Within moments, the tension in the room was forgotten, and everyone was calm once more.

"Suzuno," Maou said weakly, tears in his eyes as he thought about Ashiya, "I'm sorry, I-"

"Save it," Suzuno said, furiously wiping away her own tears upon the sleeve of her kimono, "I know you are simply worried for Ashiya. I am too, we all are. I will help you in your endeavor to bring him home."

Maou did not say it, but Suzuno's support made him feel much better, as if the chances of Ashiya's survival had doubled simply with her pledge of assistance. Maou turned to face Emi, who was looking rather strange, her eyes glittering as she stared intently at Maou, as if lost in thought. Maou cleared his throat and the faraway look in her eyes died as she came back to herself, noticing the direction of her gaze. She said nothing, but turned her attention to Raphael, not wanting to prolong her eye contact with Maou as the butterflies began to flutter violently in her navel.

"I think we should all remain calm and collected," Raphael said, "as an angel of darkness, Bernael has a very powerful sway on people, as he can look right into the darkest recesses of your being and pluck you to his tune like a guitar. What I've just done was sort of the opposite. As the angel of love, joyfulness, compassion and empathy, I can ward off Bernael's negativity."

"That's why you were selected to track him down," Lucifer said, "because how better to fight Darkness that pure love, right?"

"Bingo," Raphael said, wagging a finger at Urushihara, "precisely why I was chosen, but he's not the problem. I can, for the most part, undo any spell he creates as I am essentially his opposite. However, the variable I can't control or manipulate in any way is his girlfriend, Beliel, the Mistress of Evil."

"But how are we supposed to fight evil incarnate," Emi asked, "can't love ward off evil, too?"

"No. You see, Emilia, love cannot simply ward off evil. Evil is not a feeling, it is not a choice, is it an act or way of life that goes against someone's own moral code. Even the most morally dubious and terrible people can find love, if only in those similar to themselves. Evil can be a tough thing to identify, as some evils are necessary, or are done with every intention of being noble. With all of its intricacies, there is no way I can fully counter Beliel's power. She is the one being that angels fear… aside from the Devil, I guess."

"Thank you," Maou said, "I'm guessing that she'll be my priority, though."

"How so," Raphael asked, "I thought your powers were diminished."

"Far from it, my powers have been… growing exponentially. I can feed off of the negative emotions of humans."

Maou's eyes subconsciously made for Emi, but he willed them to return to Raphael, who was watching Maou closely, looking at him with newfound suspicion. He scratched his large, dimpled chin and raised an eyebrow, his curiosity growing. Maou felt a strange sense of trespass within his being, and he realized his positive feelings were being gone through by the angel in front of him. Maou, fearing for the safety of his secret, which was wrapped around the core of his being like a flag, quickly intercepted the internal interloper and forced him out of Maou's head, which made Raphael scowl suspiciously, but he did not make any sign of having seen Maou's secret.

"So, you are devouring negative emotions from innocent humans," Raphael replied casually, his eyes hard and calculating.

"Are you kidding me? Do you really think I would be alive if I were stealing the emotions of humans without any thoughts as to what the repercussions might be? No, Emi and Suzuno would've killed me long before now; I take from those whose anger is unhealthy and ravaging. Just a few days ago I took a large helping of seething hatred from a man who got pickles on his burger when he asked for none! And I will be the one to fight Beliel, as it seems we may have no other choice but to fight fire with fire."

Emi looked at Maou closely, noting how his face betrayed no emotion. Even so, this was quite astounding, as it was the first time Maou had ever come close to admitting he was evil. Still, it was in a rather roundabout and indirect way, so no one else seemed to be quite as surprised as Emi felt. For the first time, Emi realized how much Maou had revealed to her and only her regarding his plans for a brighter future. Perhaps if more people knew of his benevolence, they wouldn't think him so evil.

"Fire with fire? Pardon my saying so, Satan, but your fire will be nothing more than a match before Beliel's inferno. Unlike you, she has been able to feed on an entire company of overworked and underpaid employees unchecked for who knows how long, her stores of power will be nigh on limitless."

"I have something she doesn't though," Maou said, "something that gives me a reason to fight."

"And what would that be," Raphael asked, "your sense of justice? Your pride in the fast food industry? Or just the life of your General?"

"All of those things," Maou said, glaring defiantly at the angel, "along with the fact that I have an entire race dependent upon my return. My General is also my friend and I…"

Maou broke off, almost letting his feelings for Emi slip off of his loose tongue. He blushed, looked away from Raphael and cleared his throat again. He felt another mental probe from Raphael but he was prepared for it and he built a wall around his mind, making it impossible for Raphael to poke around his head.

"I have things I need to do," Maou summarized lamely.

"Alright, so I will face Bernael, you will face Beliel, that leaves Emilia, Crestia Bell and Lucifer."

Everyone winced as they were called by their real names, instead of their Earthen aliases.

"Raphael," Suzuno said, "you should stop calling us by those names post haste. Anyone listening will be inclined to investigate. I am Suzuno Kamazuki, Emilia is Emi Yusa, Satan Jacob is Sadao Maou and Lucifer is Urushihara Hanzo. What is your alias?"

"They call me Raphael," the large angel said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"How incredibly… blunt," Urushihara said, still fixed upon his computer screen.

"Well, my question remains unanswered. So far, the only strategy we have is that Sata- sorry, Maou will hold off Beliel and I will face Bernael, so what are you three bringing to the table?"

"I'll obviously have to fight off Bernael with you," Lucifer said, sounding thoroughly unexcited about the prospect.

"What makes you say that," Emi asked, "and how do we know you won't turn on us?"

"If you knew how I treated Bernael back when he served under me, you'd realize how stupid that question really is. He'll never consider me a true friend, so even if I did turn on all of you, I can guarantee he'd betray me sooner or later. And as to why I am facing Bernael, I am the Lightbringer," Lucifer said simply.

"The Lightbringer?"

"Yeah, that's what my name translates too to ancient Angelic-Ente Islan. I am an angel of Light."

"That would explain your attacks, and how they're all primarily energy and light based," Emi said thoughtfully.

"Yeah, that's part of the reason I was so powerful back then. A Bringer of Light? An Angel? Hand in hand job description, I had all the power I wanted and no limit to my career potential. Only way to go was up."

"Until you fell from grace," Suzuno chimed in. Urushihara grimaced and turned slowly towards Suzuno.

"Thanks for that," he said weakly, "I really needed to be reminded of it."

"Well, it's your own fault you fell," Maou said shortly, "and whatever the case, you still became one of my most trusted Generals… in fact, I believe you were there before any of the others… one of my first followers."

His gaze dulled as Maou and Urushihara both drifted back to the early days of the Demon King's life, when Maou was but a childish goblin class demon with a few followers, not yet a true king among his demon peers.

"Whatever the case, Lucifer is correct, he should be the one to help me fight Bernael. I think Emi should help Maou face Beliel," Raphael stated, "and then there's you…"

Everyone looked at Suzuno, who looked rather startled at all the attention. Still she looked at each of them with hard eyes.

"I'll retrieve and revive Ashiya," Suzuno volunteered, "I have expertise in infiltration and extraction missions."

"Can you get him out alive, though," Maou asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What's that supposed to mean," Suzuno asked indignantly.

"Well, you were primarily an assassin, maybe you should help us fight. Your talents will be invaluable in the battle," Maou said, thinking quickly to recover from his double edged question.

"I will recover Ashiya," Suzuno said, "I owe him that much, then we will join the battle afterward, provided all goes as planned."

Urushihara, who sat at the computer, felt a pang of jealousy, wishing Suzuno would regard him with the level of affection she showed to Ashiya. Still, no one seemed to have any other ideas, for without any knowledge of their foes, or of the museum itself, it made speculation far too varied for any real planning to get done. Still, they bandied about the plan for some time, making little to no adjustments to it and trying to pass the time. Eight o'clock came and went, along with the occupants of Maou's apartment, whom all trooped out of the place like soldiers marching towards battle. After a short walk to the Keio-Shin subway line, they rode in the crowded car for half an hour of intense silence, in which everyone looked rather pale and unsure. Maou felt his old battle instincts float back to the forefront of his mind, all of the days spent training with his followers and the time spent fighting against the demon chieftains and uniting them under his banner. The old bloodlust, the wonderful feeling of power as he fought his way across a battlefield, smiting his opponents with overwhelming magical might, all rotating in his head as he rode through Tokyo.

He wished that were the case now. Now he felt hungry, yet sick at the same time, and every time he tried to think about plans of attack, he found himself staring at the afterimage of Emi that had burned into his eyes. The way she looked when she slept, the way she had held his hands and blushed as they stared at each other, savoring in the pleasure they received from their mutual arrangement. Maou, however, only wished that would happen again, having not known how much he cared about Emi at the time. He desired that closeness more than ever as he wound his way towards where a bloodthirsty fallen angel was waiting for him to arrive with something he didn't have. More than ever he wanted to hold Emi to his side and tell her how much she meant to him, to ignore his responsibilities and just savor the moment with her. He wanted for her to say that Ashiya would be all right, that this was all a bad dream and that he would wake up, but he sat there silently, occasionally stealing a glance at the Hero.

From what he saw, she too was worried, or scared, or simply nervous. Her skin was rather pale, and her long mane of magenta hair stuck out. She was leaning back, twiddling her thumbs and looking down at the floor of the train car they were in. For a moment, Maou considered using his hypnosis to get everyone but the two of them to leave, to force everyone to wait in the next car down as Emi and Maou sat and talked privately.

'Geez, you are the most hopeless Demon King ever,' Maou thought to himself, 'it's never gonna happen, get over it you stupid son of a-'

"Hey Maou," Emi said quietly, "you ok?"

"Fine," Maou said in a quavering voice.

"We'll be riding this train back with Ashiya in tow," Emi said, "just wait, you'll see."

She smiled and gently took Maou's hand in her own, giving it a gentle squeeze. No one else seemed to notice, and the contact made Maou feel like his arm had been electrocuted. Still, he did his best to remain grounded by thinking of Ashiya and giving Emi a small, sad smile in return. She smiled again then let his hand go, once more returning to her brooding state of thumb-twiddling. Maou didn't need his powers to tell him that Emi was just as concerned, if not more so, than he was, though he had no idea why.

Emi silently cursed herself as she withdrew her hand from Maou's, thinking about her nightmare with him in it. The way he was so frightening, so cruel and vicious, but in a strange way, the thought helped her. In her mind's eye, Emi saw herself standing behind the vicious Lord of Demons as he snarled at an unseen foe, defending her from attack. Somehow, the thought that she had such a menacing ally made her feel safe. Still, the thought of that fallen angel made her skin crawl as she remembered her last encounter with Sariel.

Everyone sat wrapped in their own thoughts until the train pulled to a stop in Morishita Station, where they waited a few minutes to board the Oedo line, which would take them much closer to the museum. After a much shorter ride, they alighted in Ryogoku Station, where Emi, Maou, Suzuno, Urushihara and Raphael all looked about for a map of the local attractions. After determining the cardinal directions, they found they were actually within sight of the museum. They followed a walkway that wove between a hospital and a restaurant, over the tracks and bypassing a stadium before they came to a stop in front of the museum. It was a large building, looking almost like the bridge of a large science fiction starship. They looked around nervously at all the people who were still going about their business as they neared the entrance of the obviously closed museum. Still, even when they stood right next to the doors, no one intercepted them. With a deep breath, Raphael pushed on the doors of the museum and found them unlocked. No alarms rang out; nothing made to block their path. It was almost too easy.

They entered the museum and looked around at the exhibits, most of which were large recreations of the life and times of the Edo period, while occasionally there was an artifact or replica that caught the viewer's eye. They wandered carefully across the foyer of the museum until they came across a large side chamber, uninhabited except by two short people, both of whom were dressed in black and looking very out of place in the whitewashed museum. As one, the group approached the figures, who were standing in a hall of what appeared to be display pieces of the Edo period. Upon the far wall was a glass panel with backlighting that displayed a large still-life of Edo, or early Tokyo. It was immensely detailed, and expansive. Set along the front of this was a glass case filled with more relics and display pieces.

One of the figures turned about at the sound of approaching footsteps, and there, amidst the displays, was Bernael, still in his elegant suit, as though he had no fear of being caught on camera in what was supposed to be a closed building.

"Lucy and company," he said, "perfect! Everyone, I'd like you to meet my wife, Beliel."

The figure next to Bernael turned slowly and revealed very little, as she wore a cloak with the hood pulled up. She gently removed it and cast it aside, revealing a slender frame, an ageless, yet youthful face, and sad, purple eyes that were more of a lilac hue, compared to Bernael's purplish black irises. She had long silver hair that was done up into an elegant and resplendent pile upon her head. On top of this, she wore a magenta bowler hat which was decorated with a cluster of what appeared to be roses. She was dressed in a large, frilly black dress, styled like a Victorian Era ball gown with accents that matched her hat and displayed her pale shoulders and neck.

"Hello everyone," she said, her eyes sweeping through them all with an air of boredom until they found Maou and widened considerably, "I am Beliel. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I have heard so much about you from Bernael."

 **Hello there, Devils, can I interest you in some fanfiction? Sorry for the wait, this chapter is rather bleak, in which several things are outlined and the plot (if there is one) is somewhat explained. I'll have you know a lot of research went into this. For example, both Bernael and Beliel were fallen angels in the Bible, and I did my best to make sure they fit their descriptions, but there isn't much to go on for Beliel, so I combined her with another angel of a similar name and viola! Also, I actually mapped out the train course between Sasazuka and the Edo Tokyo Museum, which is a real museum, and I sort of described it. If you remember how they passed a stadium of some sort... well, that was actually a sumo stadium. It's real, look it up. Like I said, lot's of dialogue, a new angel, no, two new angels, one of them fallen. Also, Raphael's reputation as a being of love and compassion was taken from some random website, can't remember which. I've never actually read the Bible, so I don't know if these profiles actually fit the descriptions I give, but that's the beauty of artistic license. Also, a side note, to those of you who have taken the time to read this story, you have officially made this my most popular fanfic! Thank you all so much, I know I don't say it all that much but you guys are great. Another note, because I just remembered, there are several nods to the future of the series here, for instance, Lucifer being one of Satan's earliest followers, right alongside the Demon Minister Kameo, the Yesod, obviously, and something else I'm currently forgetting. All well, enjoy the story and thank you all for reading!**

 **Another quick thing: this story isn't done, I was simply thanking you all because I noticed how much more popular this was than any of my other stories. I have plans for this, I just can't update this weekend as I got a very large piece of wood stuck under my fingernail from work and typing is very hard for me at the moment. That said, I'll hopefully have the next chapter up next weekend, so this is not the end, and I do have more EmixMaou planned... why do you think I chose Raphael, the Angel of Love for the job, eh?**


	12. The Devil and the Hero: Battle

Beliel's voice was so girly and immature that for a moment, it almost sounded as if Suzuno had spoken, causing everyone's eyes to flicker towards Crestia Bell unbidden. After a moment of silence, Emi crossed her arms and smirked.

"This is your wife," she asked, "she's way to pretty for you. She looks more like she belongs in a Victorian museum or something, not here with you… creep."

"I would appreciate it if you would refrain from speaking ill of my husband," the young woman said in a voice that sounded much more threatening than before.

"You two cannot be married," Raphael said, "marriage is a sacred bond, it binds souls…"

"Not here it doesn't," Bernael said with a twisted smiled, "here it's just a piece of paper and a few laws that bind you, no magic, no souls, nothing. And besides, Raphael, who are you to question our marriage? An angel of love should be supportive of us, shouldn't he, pumpkin?"

Bernael turned to speak to his wife and spoke in kinder, loving voice, and the genuine look of happiness upon his face took Emi, Suzuno, Urushihara, Raphael and Maou aback.

"He should, though I suppose with him still being a fully-fledged angel he is bound by Heaven's will. Still, enough of this idle chatter, do you have the Yesod fragment? I think I may sense it but I…."

Beliel's lilac eyes fixed Emi with a purposeful stare and Emi felt as if she were being x-rayed. She shivered as she felt waves of unknown power shoot through her being as she was submitted to an internal inspection. It was all Emi could do to put up a barrier to keep out the young woman's piercing gaze.

"We don't have the fragment of Yesod," Raphael said, holding up his hands in surrender, "we were hoping that if you understood that you might be persuaded to release the hostage. If we had whatever it was you sought, we would have provided you with it-"

"So now you're going to lie to my face," Bernael asked loudly, "you're going to pretend that you don't know anything about it? I'm sorry Raphael, but you were there before the Incident, you have been around for as long as any of the angels can remember, you of all people should know of the fragment of Yesod."

"I am an angel of love, a soldier of Heaven, one of the Archangels and the angel of Healing! If I do not know of this fragment of Yesod, it is because I am not meant to know! What I do know is that what you are doing is wrong! Release the demon and your sentence may be lessened when I drag you back to Ente Isla," Raphael commanded, his scarlet eyes ablaze with righteous fury.

He took a step forward and Bernael's face slowly twisted into that of a maniac, a large smile, bared teeth, and wide eyes with a strange fire behind them that screamed 'You should run while you have the chance.' Maou readied himself for a fight, as did the rest of the extraction team. Within a moment's notice, their plan would go into effect.

"At least tell me where Ashiya is," Maou said, "I truthfully have no idea what this Yesod is, nor do I know where you can obtain a fragment! Hell, I don't even give a shit, I just want my General back, NOW!"

Maou's form became clouded in black mist and only his red eyes burned through the dark fog of his power. Bernael looked at the Devil with his insane grin before he held up a finger and waved it back and forth.

"Tisk tisk, my fellow fiend, your General is safe, for now. And I know for a fact you have come into contact with the Yesod, I can still taste it," Bernael said quietly, his tongue flicking out to taste the air.

"Calm down," Emi said, grabbing Maou by the elbow, "save your power."

"Wise words, Hero Emilia," Beliel said, curtsying to the red haired woman, "unlike us, I sense that all of you are rather weak as of now. You have some strength, yes, but my husband and I are far more powerful, and far more experienced in these matters."

"It's true," Bernael laughed, "we've been here since Tokyo was called by a different name! That's partly why I wanted us to meet here, because it brings back so many memories."

"Called by a different name," Raphael asked.

"Yes," Beliel said with a small smile, "we have been here since days of the Edo period, back when Tokyo was known throughout the world as Edo. It has been… over two hundred years now?"

Beliel looked to Bernael for an answer and he nodded to her.

"That's right," Bernael said happily, "we've been here for some time! We realized that we wouldn't die so long as our powers were kept in peak condition, and so we set about building ourselves up. Two centuries later, bam! We have our own multimillion dollar company, we have an abundance of magic and people willing to feed it as we pay them to crank out useless electronic garbage, and I can finally afford the best suits available!"

"He was practically forced to live naked here when we first arrived," Beliel said, laying a gentle hand upon Bernael's shoulder, "always putting me first, giving me all the clothes and making sure I always ate. He was so committed to me in a foreign world… I eventually ended up reciprocating his affections."

Bernael planted a small kiss upon Beliel's forehead and she blushed, turning her purple gaze to the ground and clasping her hands behind her back as she kicked at a spot on the floor. Emi felt a strange familiarity resonate through her being and an image of Maou floated to the forefront of her mind before she forced it onto the backburner once more. The fact was, even though they had started out as enemies, she often saw Maou as a neutral party now, possibly even an ally in times of trouble such as these, but why did Beliel's statement seem to make so much sense?

'Being trapped in a foreign world with no one to lean on but one another seems to be a pretty common happening here, I guess,' Emi thought.

"This is a false love," Raphael hissed, "unworthy of note and damned by Heaven! You two will burn."

"Our love is the only thing that kept us alive and somewhat sane through TWO HUNDRED YEARS," Bernael bellowed, making everyone jump, "IT KEPT ME ON MY FEET WHEN I WAS FORCED INTO INDENTURED SERVITUDE OF THE FARMER THAT TOOK US IN! IT'S MORE PURE THAN ANY FALSE AFFECTION THAT I RECEIVED IN HEAVEN!"

"Calm down," Beliel said quietly, "I know how deep your love runs, that's all that matters."

Bernael was panting, his face painted with a mask of intense hatred. His hair had become disheveled and his suit was slightly wrinkled after the outburst. He took a few deep breaths, closed his eyes and smoothed back his hair before smiling once more.

"Beliel is correct, as per usual, the only person to whom I have to prove my affections is her. If you were a true angel of love, you would sense it."

"I sense something," Raphael admitted, "though I'm not sure if it's love or something else… obsession, maybe?"

"Quiet," Bernael said.

"I understand that feeling," Maou said, stepping forward, "when I came here, the only person I had was my General, Alciel. He made sure I was fed, clothed and made sure that Castle Overlord was kept up and running! I know how much you two mean to one another because I feel that for my General now, though to a less-uh-romantic degree. You took my best friend in a big world where I am struggling to make ends meet. If you truly understand these feelings, then please, give me back Ashiya. I'll do anything, I'll pay you, I'll help you look for a Yesod and extort one from whoever actually has one! Just give me back my friend."

"Is this the Devil, begging for our help," Bernael asked quizzically, "my, my, how the mighty have fallen. You used to be the most feared being in the world. You ransacked human civilization and had them running scared… and now here you are, begging at my feet like a dog."

Bernael's words seemed to touch everyone in the room, and for a brief moment, they had a moment of clarity. To some, they saw their King had fallen into despair. To others, they saw a Demon Lord gone soft, maybe turning over a new leaf as he asked for his General to be returned to him… no, not his General, his friend.

"Perhaps we should-" Beliel began before she was cut off by Bernael.

"No! No, if we surrender the Devil's General, we can rest assured that they will attempt to exact revenge upon us. Do you think me stupid, Satan? I know you have held the Yesod, I know you have touched it! They did not call you the master of deceit for nothing! You have always had a silver tongue, but your honeyed words are poisoned, sweet, yet deadly. I'll not surrender your General until I have a fragment of Yesod in my hands."

Maou activated a mental link between his allies, and as one they all received his message.

'Now!'

The team of angels, demons, heroes and clergywomen all made for their targets as their plan came into effect. Maou and Emi made to attack Beliel, while Raphael and Lucifer made for Bernael. Suzuno, however, broke away as soon as the enemy was occupied and she sprinted through the building, letting down her hair as her magical hammer grew to its full size. Her kimono allowed her a very wide range of motion, though it somewhat restricted her leg movement. Even so, she ran faster than a cheetah, hurtling by exhibits so fast that sheets of paper and small figurines were blown about by her passing. She checked room after room, going from door to door searching for Ashiya, but it soon became clear to her that he was not there, the only magical energies she could sense were still back within the large room of displays, with everyone else.

"Curses," Suzuno said, "he's not here, but where…"

Her eyes widened as she gazed out of the window, a large skyscraper reflected in her large blue eyes. After a moment, she broke the glass with her hammer and leapt threw the window, the distant blasts and echoes of battle fading from her hearing as she bound and leapt so far it appeared to be flight, heading straight for the Fony Inc. skyscraper in the distance.

Back at the battle, the first strikes were underway as the four on two battle commenced. Maou saw Suzuno slip through the chaos unhindered to search for Ashiya out of the corner of his eye as he charged the fallen angel before him. He punched a fistful of dark energy right at where Beliel stood, but lost his balance and almost toppled over as she vanished with a snap. He regained his composure and felt a breeze brush against the hair of his head. Looking up, he saw that Beliel took to the skies, but that didn't bother him, what did that was the angel's wings. Maou looked up and felt a strong sense of déjà vu as he stared with wonder at the wings of an evil angel. They were not like Lucifer's or Bernael's, they were bat-like, with thin membranes and clawed hooks that sent a shiver through Maou's being as he gazed at the angel. The wings were exactly the same as Maou's when he took on his original form.

"You see now, Satan," Beliel said, "I am truly an evil angel! I am the true embodiment of malice in Ente Isla! You are just a usurper!"

She flew down and slashed at Maou with a flat palm. Maou raised an arm, but the strike broke through his defense and struck him hard in the chest. Maou's world flipped, turned and spun as he was thrown through the air and into the large glass pane that was lit with a map of Edo. He hit the glass and it shattered, the fluorescent bulbs behind the glass broke as well, and Maou felt energy course through him as he was electrocuted.

"Maou!"

Emi made to run for Maou, but Maou saw Beliel strike at Emi as well. She kicked at the Hero with a buckled shoe, but it clanged off of Emi's sword, which spawned to defend its Hero. A retaliatory thrust made Beliel retreat and Emi once more made for Maou, who crashed to the floor with a huge avalanche of broken glass. His entire body hurt and the glass cut him all over, but Emi pulled him to his feet and gently smacked his face.

"Snap out of it!"

"Emi…"

"Yeah?"

"Duck!"

Maou thrust Emi to her knees and Emi watched as Beliel's buckled shoe flew inches over her head and struck Maou full in the chest. Blood shot from Maou's mouth as he was pushed back into the wall behind the glass display, cracking the masonry and shaking the building. Emi spun and slashed with the Evolving Holy Sword, Better Half, but Beliel flipped right over, her wings gracefully carving the air as she spun over the blade like a pirouetting ballet dancer before a sharp kick to Emi's head sent the Hero crashing to the floor.

Things were not much better with Lucifer and Raphael as they both pulled weapons from the display cases as charged Bernael, who stood resolute. For a moment, it seemed he would be cut to ribbons, but then his dark katana appeared in his hands and black flames billowed from the blade, making both Raphael and Urushihara's faces tightened from the intense heat. Lucifer went low, as he was short and Raphael went high, but both blows were countered by a flaming diagonal slash from Bernael. Steel met steel and black cinders flew as three ancient Japanese swords met.

"Did you really think I would be caught off guard? I heard Satan's mental link snap into being, I heard every word he whispered to you! You had no chance," Bernael laughed.

Steel clashed upon steel as Bernael pushed both Raphael and Urushihara back with immense strength and both angels, fallen and divine, stumbled backward before the might of Bernael's sword. With a fiery backhanded slash, Bernael brought his sword down upon Raphael, who parried expertly, but floundered as his ancient Japanese relic was broken in half by the force of the blow. The blade soared through the air and impaled itself in the wall, still vibrating.

"Did you really think your ancient weapons would last against my sword? I made this back when we got here, I imbued it with every ounce of power at my disposal, and I have added to it as my powers grew with the times. This katana was forged with one purpose in mind: to kill anyone who would stand in my way!"

"And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home-these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. Jude 1:6," Raphael said, tossing away his broken sword and letting his power flow through him as his eyes flared a bright crimson.

"Don't preach to me!"

Bernael slashed at Raphael, but another sword crossed his, laced with bright purple flames that seemed to hurt Bernael's eyes as they flickered and danced along the blade of the sword held aloft by Urushihara, who snarled at his enemy.

"Come now, Urushihara, we've been through his before. Throw down your sword, you can't beat me," Bernael said, pressing his face dangerously close to the locked blades as they pushed against each other.

"I can't do that," Urushihara said, "I made a promise a long time ago. I have to be there to see the Devil's world come to life. And then I shall determine his fate from there."

"So you actually owe allegiance to the Devil," Bernael sneered, "you would turn your back on your own kind? You would go against someone who is just like you!"

"I'm nothing like you," Lucifer said coldly, "I left Heaven for different reasons, I wasn't forced out like some criminal!"

"You're right! You left because you were bored, I left because it was my destiny! You felt that and you were intimidated by me, but now that I am the strong one, and you are weak and I am giving you a chance to join me! Cast aside your weapon, surrender to the Darkness! There is no way you can beat me now, I have discovered a nigh infinite source of power," Bernael proclaimed.

Raphael charged forward and flanked Bernael, but the fallen angel raised a hand and erected a shield. With one hand upon his katana, he pushed it forward, threatening to beat Urushihara, who had both hands wrapped tightly around the hilt of his own sword. Raphael threw a barrage of red power at Bernael, but it struck the shield of black energy and did nothing. He pushed against the barrier with all his might, but to now avail. Bernael smirked as he held off two of Heaven's greatest angels.

'Oh how the times change,' he thought smugly.

Maou and Emi worked quite well together, as Maou's power was primarily long ranged magical attacks, and Emi was able to keep Beliel occupied with her Sacred Sword. Even so, to say they were getting their asses handed to them was an understatement. No matter what they did, no matter how infallible their plan seemed, they always seemed to be outmatched. Beliel, as it turned out, had a sword of her own, a very large two handed weapon that was at least as large as the small angel was, perhaps a bit larger. Still, she fought with grace, power and finesse unexpected of an angel who appeared so small, innocent and fragile. Her blows easily brushed aside Emi's guard and they were so fast and precise that Emi felt herself being pushed back by the ferocity of the attacks. Beliel's wings worked wonders as the fallen angel fought the Hero, her small body seemingly bandied about and tossed to and fro like a trapeze artist, and yet it was all so flawless the way the girl managed to fight that Maou could definitely see why Beliel was a warrior back when she served Heaven. She hacked and slashed at Emi mercilessly until Emi was against the wall where Maou had broken through the shattered glass.

"I could use a little help here," Emi shouted, barely fending off the fallen angel.

Maou appeared behind Beliel and allowed his power to pour into his being as his horns grew, his legs turned hairy and goat like and his ears became pointed. His teeth sharpened and became predatory, his eyes glowed red and his muscles bulged and rippled beneath his clothes as he returned to his original form. Beliel eased her attack upon Emi for a moment before Satan Jacob bludgeoned her with a blast of red energy. The fallen angel was cast right towards Emi, who rolled out of the way, leaving nothing to come between Beliel and the wall. There was a sickening crunch and Beliel's wings cushioned her as she struck the concrete. She was dazed for a moment and her wings were broken and crumpled. She stared at Maou with lilac eyes that seemed to burn with in implacable hatred and could likely curdle milk. Satan Jacob raised an eyebrow as the angel winced, her wings crunching, crackling and popping at she forced the joints back into their sockets and fixed her wings. When they were once more in good condition to fly, Beliel shivered and stretched them tenderly.

"You know, Satan, I used to look up to you," Beliel said, "I used to think you were my knight in shining armor, coming to take over the world and take me as your bride… I was the perfect fit after all."

Emi kept the tip of her sword between herself and the young woman before her as she slowly crept around to stand at Maou's side, ignoring his newly taken form.

"You and I were supposed to rule the world, but then Bernael was cast out, and I was left all alone. I fell from grace within a week of Bernael's own exiling. I always knew that you and I were supposed to be together, but when Bernael showed me how much he cared and I thought all chance of you returning was lost, I gave in to his love for me. I was happy with him, and I realized I didn't need you," Beliel sneered, "I realized that I was more powerful than you could ever be, I survived and thrived in a world without magic! I was cast out of my home, abandoned by those to whom I devoted my entire life! I fought against my true nature for the sake of Heaven, and how did they repay me?! Exile! Betrayal! I knew then that I was the true enemy of Heaven, I would raze it to the ground. You…. You were just another Demon King, you came further than most, I'll admit that, and you almost had the world in your hands, but in the end couldn't go through with it because you were an impostor, your malice was never a match for mine. Your hate could only take you so far, you lacked the spark of vengeance to reign as the world's tyrant!"

As Beliel spoke, Maou sensed the fragile state of being contained within the angel. Her logic was flawed, built up like a wall to keep out reality and all of its harsh truths. Maou knew that if he were to defeat the angel, he would need to tear that wall down.

"I never even knew of your existence," Satan said imperiously, "and I acknowledge no angel as a true tyrant. Your evil is unchecked and uncontrolled, a forest fire with no clear objective. This fire that burns within me does not burn for something as petty as revenge, it burns for those who rely on me create a better world for all of demonkind. My fire is like a lance, powerful and piercing, with clear motives and its launch is fueled by the myriad of people that count on me to deliver them safely into the future of Ente Isla. My evil is necessary, a stipulate of change, a marker of progress! And even then, I have grown since my failure, I have learned new things, I am now closer than ever to achieving the peace and prosperity I fought for back then! You are just a failed experiment, an amusing contradiction. An evil angel indeed, and what's more, completely useless. Lackluster and meaningless, your existence and the false words you use to justify it are all trivial. If you were wise, you would bow to me and vow to serve me. I could give you purpose, together we could breathe new life into Ente Isla, we could save lives, and in the end, you could take my place as the evil that is necessary to change the world. Bernael may say he loves you, but if you look closely, I think you'll see how much he's used you!"

Emi listened as Maou used his silver tongue to its fullest. With each insult and slander, Emi felt her rage build, but with every lie and every promise, she felt herself inclined to do whatever it was Maou said. It left her in a relatively supple state that made her sensitive as to how the Devil viewed her. Was she his friend? Were they just accomplices? Should they really work together? Did he like her perfume?

Emi shook her head and narrowed her eyes at the small fallen angel before her, who looked as if she were involved in a fierce inner battle. She shook on the spot and stared at the floor as she felt her castle of glass shatter around her.

'Brick by brick,' Maou thought, 'I dismantle the castle of lies you built around yourself and show you the true nature of the world in which you live, but if Bernael's love is real, then what will she do?'

Beliel's face contorted with pain for a moment before she glared at Maou, her violet eyes flaring with power.

"You are nothing! You are insignificant! Die, Devil!"

The small, silver haired angel dove forward, her sword levelled at Maou's chest. As the tip of the sword neared his flesh, Maou had a flashback. He was in his castle, set upon by the Hero and her compatriots, He'd lost a horn then, and he didn't want to go around missing an arm or a leg this time, but the sword was already so close, it was practically upon him.

"I ap Jahan Sayoz," roared a voice.

A wall of dark mist and intense malignance rose before the blade of Beliel's sword, stopping the weapon mere inches short of Maou's flesh. The only thing that burned through the wall was his eyes, and a blurry outline of his frightening form. He radiated terror and chaos, and Beliel looked fearful as she stared at the maelstrom of power before her. The dark, commanding tones that had spoken still rung within her head and resonated in her cranium, and from her time in Ente Isla, she knew what the voice had said.

'I am Satan Jacob!'

"Kulek ow xeponj! Rinv aponvjh rinvj, xegoukek ow joulj anx xejhkocek ow akpiej! I ap te fto jofj hekkok aponvjh tij enepiej!"

Thud.

The Devil took a step forward, towering over the small trembling angel before him, making the ground shake and driving a spike of fear into the angel's heart.

"I ap hte hkue takzinvek ow hte enx! I jtall xejhkoc hte foklx anx ykeahe ih anef wkop hte ajtej! Cou jtall eihtek soin pe anx lige, ok jhanx avainjh pe anx mekijt!"

Thud.

Another hoof clacked down upon the floor of the museum as Maou slowly and deliberately walked toward the angel, who now looked as if she might cry, but Maou would not stop, he knew that she was far too powerful to be left alone simply because she was scared. If anything it expedited and fortified his actions, as he wanted her to submit before she went berserk and destroyed the museum.

"I…I…," Beliel stumbled, her eyes locked upon the flaring red orbs that were Maou's eyes. Emi wanted to shout for Maou to stop, but she felt a twinge in their mental link, telling her not to interfere.

'With another angel at my command I could very well become the most respected demon of all time,' Maou thought to himself as he awaited the petite woman's response.

"Beliel," said the dark, monstrous voice from within the field of energy, "I owwek cou hte hihle ow venekal, anx I jfeak ho mkoheyh cou fiht egekc agailazle kejoukye! I gof htah iw cou xeep pc leaxekjtim inaxequahe, cou ake wkee ho xo fiht pe aj cou fill! Jo I jfeak in hte jaykex lanvuave ow Yenhkiup!"

Beliel looked fascinated, yet terrified all the same. Over the hubbub and the sound of battle, Lucifer heard the oath that Satan Jacob had made, the very same one that he had made to Lucifer as well, all those years ago.

'At this rate if anyone dislikes your reign you'll have hell to pay,' Uruhsihara thought as he struck at Beliel with all his might, swinging the ancient sword around as easily as if it were a switch.

"Don't do it Beliel," Bernael shouted, "remember the vows you made to me on our wedding night! You and I are in this together!"

Beliel looked at her husband, a helpless look upon her face as she wept for her situation. Before her, drenched in magical power was the Devil, whom she once believed to be her chosen, the only person capable of understanding her plight. And across the large display hall, still fighting, was Bernael, the man whom had loved her unconditionally and had proven his worth.

"I… I will join you, Satan," Beliel said quietly, closing her eyes, "I shall serve as you general and do my utmost to make your reign as long and fruitful as possible."

"Kneel," Maou spoke from within the vortex of illusionary magic, "recite your oath in Centrium and let it bind you to me!"

Beliel gracefully dropped to her knees and took a prayer stance with her hands clasped, looking up at Satan pleadingly. Her eyes were wide with relief, and perhaps a bit of disbelief as she prepared to recite her oath to her new liege. Before she could utter a single syllable, however, there was a commotion as Urushihara and Raphael were both thrown backward by two bolts of black lightning. A cry was heard, bloodcurdling and outraged like a wounded animal. Emi shouted something and drew back an arm to swing her sword, but was blasted backward by a gout of flickering shadow. Maou turned as time seemed to stop. His friends were suspended in midair, being electrocuted or simply launched across the room. And there, behind Beliel, sword poised to run her through, was Bernael, shrouded in shadows. His face was twisted with savagery and sadness as he prepared to do the unthinkable.

"No," Maou said, not daring to believe Bernael would ever commit such an atrocity.

But then he did. In his rage and his passion, Bernael found the strength to do the deed. He thrust his sword through Beliel's chest as Maou outstretched a hand, his brain unable to comprehend such a vile act. Steel slid through muscle, bone, and organ and Beliel looked down at the black blade of her husband's katana as though it were the answer to life itself. Her eyes were wide and glassy as tears leaked from the corners of the lilac orbs. Her breath was shallow and shaky as it hurt just to breathe. The sword dripped blood as she opened her mouth, no sound coming out. Bernael tugged and the sword came free, along with arcs of blood that splattered the white tile floor and drained from the wound as Beliel's strength faded. She fell backwards and Bernael caught her in his arms as she slowly faded.

"Bernael," she asked, her mind muddled by blood loss and betrayal, "why?"

"We swore that we would stay together forever," Bernael said quietly, wiping away Beliel's tears with a gloved hand, "you told me you would never leave me… 'till death do us part,' you said."

Beliel's face turned pale and blood pooled underneath her as her life drained away.

"You lied," Bernael said, quivering, "till death do us part, indeed."

Urushihara, Raphael and Emi all hobbled up, looking relatively worse for wear. The angels were covered in soot, and Raphael's shoe had been blown off while Emi simply looked bruised and sore, while not electrocuted.

"I'm sorry…"

Bernael stared down at the white face of his wife, her lips dry as she fought to get out the words that Bernael needed to hear.

"For what," Bernael asked quietly, completely ignoring his adversaries.

"I never… loved… you…"

Bernael stared down at Beliel, but her liquid gaze dimmed, the light in her violet eyes died and she moved no more. With that, Beliel, the Angel of Evil and Uselessness faded from this world and was granted paradise in the afterlife.

"Liar," Bernael said quietly, shaking Beliel's lifeless corpse, "you always were a big, fat liar. C'mon, get up, tell me the truth, dammit."

He shook her more vigorously, but Lucifer hobbled forward and placed the blade of his katana upon Bernael's shoulder.

"That's enough, Bernie," Urushihara said disdainfully, "she's gone now, and she's happier than she ever was with you. Why don't you give up now, return the Devil's General and count yourself lucky that you left with your life?"

"He has a point," Raphael agreed.

"Four on one," Maou stated flatly, removing his hurricane of power, "not very good odds."

"You all seem to be forgetting something…"

"What would that be," Urushihara asked, pressing the blade of his katana down firmly upon Bernael's shoulder.

"That I have become more powerful than any other angel in existence. There is a reason everyone is afraid of the dark as some point in their lives, that's because at one point monsters like me hid in it… and preyed upon the WEAK," Bernael shouted the last word, and with his roar all light was sucked from the museum, leaving Maou, Lucifer, Emi and Raphael stuck in a world of complete darkness, and helpless before the fallen angel.

 **Hello, Devils, good to see you all alive and well. Sorry for the delayed update, I've been a bit busy, and injuries suck. Anyway, to the author's breakdown of the story... I've lost control of my writing and I think I may need to be stopped. "Forget the therapist, just get me my gun," as they say. Now, I realize that killing Beliel was cruel and terrible and I actually feel bad because I wanted a bit more from her, but I guess you can't win them all. It probably doesn't make much sense the way I wrote it either, but I imagine the scene in my head and tried to get it down as best I could. Lot's of action, so for those of you who were waiting for that, I think you'll find this to whet your appetite for swordplay, magic, fateful standoffs and blood. It was a blast to write, even though it was a shorter chapter. Also, that quote Raphael speaks when fighting Bernael is a quote from the actual bible. I might throw in another one if I find one that fits, but we'll see. There are several references to the future of the books (and hopefully anime) in this fic, such as the Yesod, Lucifer's Maou's promise to allow Urushihara to judge his ability as the Demon King, and probably a few other things I missed. I hope you like this chapter, I had fun writing it, now for the link...**

 **To translate the Ente Islan language, I used Maouspeak, which can be found here:**

 **.me/maouspeak/**

 **And as for music, I was blasting several songs from Panic! At The Disco's new album Death of a Bachelor. House of Memories is the shit!**

 **NOTE REGARDING LANGUAGE!**

 **So I got a review stating that Centrium, the anime exclusive language of Ente Isla is not the actual official language of said world. I know this, but this is fanfiction, so canonical ideologies are null and void here. C'mon son! No, but thank for the review, because it reminded me of something I forgot to add. I was heavily inspired by the Ancient Language of the Inheritance Cycle when I thought up the idea to make Centrium the 'official' language for Ente Isa. For those of you unfamiliar with the Ancient Language, it the a language in which magic is channeled and controlled through the words of the language. It is the language of power, and as such it is impossible to speak falsehoods while using it. This also makes it perfect for swearing oaths of fealty, etc. I have this headcanon where Centrium, the anime language of Ente Isla, is binding just like that, as they actually speak words of said language to cast spells in the anime. Maou planned on having Beliel swear fealty to him in this binding language before she was slain by Bernael, that rat bastard. Anyway, I really wanted to have an alternate language for Maou when he made his speech, or declaration or whatever you would call it, so I added Centrium, the only language of Ente Isla, (anime or light novel) that actually has a translation. What this does is separates grazers (Bye Felicia!** **) from people who are actually interested in your story and will take the time to click a link and translate a few sentences; and so I wanted to include a different language in this chapter. Yes, I am well aware that there are many languages in Ente Isla, and that the Trading Language in the light novels is the most widespread variant of their language, but as there is no official translation to my knowledge, I decided to go with the anime version. RANT OVER! Now for those of you thinking that would never work because of the things they said during their battle at the very beginning, I will offer you this to think about, binding languages are often subject to ones own view of the world. What this means is that if Maou truly believed he would be able to return and subjugate, he could very well say that, but if his worldview changed and his personality became different, the oath he made to return and subjugate would be, you guessed it, null and void. Same thing for Emi, if she vowed to kill the Devil in Centrium, but then fell in love with him and no longer believed him to be a Devil, her oath is now null and void. God I love that phrase.**


	13. The Devil and the Hero: Forgiveness

At the Fony Inc. skyscraper and main base of operations for the Angel of Darkness, Suzuno was stealthily picking her way through the building. And by stealthily picking her way through, I mean she was fighting off hordes of gargoyles that had sprang to life as soon as she had hurled through the window of the topmost floor. They were small, brittle and frail, but in such large numbers it was a miracle she was not overwhelmed. Still, she wasn't called the Death Scythe for nothing. With each swing of her hammer, dozens of gargoyles met their demise as she fought her way through the large office that seemed to encompass the entirety of top floor. And from the magical defenses, Suzuno had no doubt it was Bernael's personal office.

"This security is pitiful," Suzuno remarked as she viscously smashed each and every gargoyle into little pieces. Sculpted beaks, claws, wings and muscled limbs lay strewn at Suzuno's feet, and still more of the little clay demons came for her. The door opened and they were joined by a cavalry of armor that moved on its own, floating weapons and a wide variety of ancient artifacts, no doubt cursed by Bernael and his associate, Beliel. Suzuno felt a claw graze her ankle and she lashed out in the direction of the attacker, sending it flying through the window.

"I need to find Ashiya," Suzuno said angrily, "why do you insist upon hindering me?!"

Suzuno swept her hammer about and struck the floor, sending out a shockwave of magic and clearing a little room for herself. The magic blasted apart the gargoyles nearest to her, but those who remained simply clambered over the bodies of their fallen comrades to get to her. She blew a lock of hair from her face and glared at the little demons. They were persistent, but Suzuno wasn't leaving without Ashiya. There had to be something there that was feeding the spell, something that would keep all these inanimate objects alive while Bernael was so far away.

She blocked a blow from a floating sword and ducked under a clothesline attack from a suit of samurai armor before she skidded to a halt before a large display case that housed a large, beautiful gemstone. Gemstones were the perfect conduit for magic, and made them the favorite of many of Ente Isla's most powerful magicians. She heard suits of armor clanking behind her and reflected in the glass display she saw swords poised to run her through. She ducked before they could, and one, two, three swords sunk hilt deep into the large, violet gemstone. Suzuno took advantage of the situation, and with one great cry she brought her hammer down upon the stone and its display. It shattered, the blades of the swords broke and fractured, and then everything that was alive, aside from Suzuno, suddenly fell to the floor.

"Phew," Suzuno said, eyeing the scratch upon her ankle, along with several small bruises along her limbs, "that could have been much worse."

She strode up to the computer, and after a few moments of recalling her private lessons with Urushihara, she managed to bring up the home screen of the computer.

'It's a good thing Bernael's security is so lax,' Suzuno thought, 'otherwise I wouldn't have been able to just shake the mouse and get his computer working.'

After a few trial and error clicks and taps of the keyboard, Suzuno found a personal diary log in the computer. Clicking on it, she found herself engrossed in a rather sordid tale of Bernael's love for Beliel. Suzuno wouldn't call it love, though. From the sound of it, it was more of an obsession.

"To be expected of one who doesn't know how to love," Suzuno muttered to herself as she read that day's entry.

"Apprehended a Demon General… fought Lucifer and won… meeting them tonight. Dammit all, where is Ashiya, answer me you useless machine!"

Suzuno shook the monitor in her frustration, but after a moment she realized how silly she must have looked and desisted.

"HHHMHMMMMPHH!"

There was a loud knocking, and a suit of armor that hadn't attacked her began to shake and stir.

"HMMMM!"

From the visor, Suzuno heard a muffled voice, and from within the dark depths of the helmet, she saw two eyes twinkling at her pleadingly.

"Ashiya?!"

"HMMM!"

"I'll get you out of there, just hold a moment!"

She pulled out her hammer, and Ashiya just about fainted right there in the suit of armor where he had been bound and gagged. When she Suzuno struck the armor, Ashiya felt absolutely nothing as the armor was blown to smithereens around him. Taking a paring knife from within the sleeve of her kimono, Suzuno cut Ashiya's bonds and helped him up.

"Are you alright," Suzuno asked, looking the demon up and down.

"Better now," Ashiya said quickly, rubbing his wrists where the ropes had cut into them, "where is m'lord? What has happened? Bernael did not tell me anything."

"Good Sadao, Emi, Lucifer and Raphael are all back at the Edo-Tokyo Museum! We must make haste to their side, or else I fear it will be too late."

"But, what is going on?"

"They are fighting Bernael and Beliel! They won't last long unless we go now!"

Without waiting for an explanation, Suzuno grabbed Ashiya by the collar of his shirt and lifted him. It was quite a sight, and Suzuno could barely get Ashiya's feet off of the ground, but after a quick toss, Ashiya had been thrown from the window and Suzuno launched herself out after him. She intended to simply jump while Ashiya flew, but the demon caught her in his arms and after a moment the two of them were rocketing through the sky as fast as Alciel's wings could carry them.

"How could you abandon the battle to come and save me while those four attack the two most powerful angels here? And why is Raphael here, fighting alongside my master? What am I to make of all this?"

"Building," Suzuno shrieked as Alciel almost flew into a skyscraper. She screamed as he narrowly avoided the side of the building, clutching at Ashiya with all her might.

"Do not drop me," Suzuno said, holding the Demon General closer than she had ever held anyone before.

"Do not choke me," Ashiya gagged, "and we have a deal."

"My apologies."

At the Edo-Tokyo Museum, Maou, Emi, Raphael and Lucifer were lost in the blinding darkness. It was a disturbing effect. They could not see themselves, not even when waving a hand in front of the eyes that they opened and closed to make sure they were working right. They couldn't see anyone or anything. All of their other senses suddenly tried to accommodate for the loss, only to increase the level of fear that radiated from Maou and his allies.

"Everyone, come to my voice," Raphael said loudly.

"As you wish," Bernael growled through the darkness.

There was a loud sound of flesh on flesh, accompanied by cracking bones and a cry of agony.

"Raphael," Lucifer shouted, "where are you?! Maou? Emi?! Guys, I'm freaking out!"

"An angel of light, afraid of the dark," Bernael asked, his voice dripping condescension, "what a sight you are, Lucifer! Are you going to cry to mommy? I warn you, she can't save you… not even the great Ignora could beat me, now."

"I… I'm not afraid," Lucifer's voice quavered through the darkness, "I am the Lightbringer! I am the Morningstar!"

For a moment, Lucifer ignited all of the energy in his body, sending out great waves of violet light as he fought to break through the darkness. His only reward was a frightening image of Bernael, whose face was stained with blood splatters and whose eyes were pitch black and seemed to drink in the light Lucifer emitted. Bernael tilted his head and giggled at Lucifer, who looked scared of the fallen angel's depravity.

"Lights out," Bernael hissed, his wings snapping open as he shot as Lucifer with incredible speed.

Maou heard Lucifer's body hit the floor and he closed his eyes, not that it made any difference as he couldn't see anything, not even the light Urushihara had created.

"This is bad," he said to himself.

"Maou," Emi whispered, "is that you?"

Maou's first thought was that it was a cruel trick, that somehow Bernael had discovered his infatuation with Emi and was tempting him into a false sense of security.

"Yeah," Maou whispered, "you there, Emi?"

"Right here," she breathed.

Maou felt her presence, and when the two of them lightly reached out to where the other stood in the darkness, they flinched, recoiling from the contact. Maou had no idea what he had touched, but he hoped it wasn't anything obtrusive.

"Maou, that is you, right," Emi whispered in a shaky voice, reaching out and pulling on some fabric of what she hoped was Maou's clothing.

"Yeah," Maou said in an undertone, "where are you, I don't want to accidentally touch you somewhere inappropriate."

"Take my hand," Emi said.

And Maou did. He felt his heart rate increase substantially, and between the fear of Bernael, and the insecurities he felt about loving Emi, he thought he might have a heart attack. He almost did when Emi pulled him into a tight hug and squeezed him tightly.

"What are you doing," Maou hissed.

"Making sure it's you," Emi said.

"How can you tell," Maou asked, wondering how the Hero could tell so much about him from just a hug.

"Cause I can feel that your hair is short, you're not wearing a fancy suit, your body is crazy warm, just like it was when I held your hands and you sucked out my emotions, and… well, I can just tell ok," Emi explained in hushed tones, blushing and hoping to the Gods that Maou couldn't sense her emotions.

"Emi," Maou said, his voice uncertain and filled with a strange emotion Emi had never heard before.

"Yes," Emi breathed in his ear.

"Get down," he said, so quietly that she almost missed it. Emi crouched, but did not let go of Maou's hand. It might have been weird, but it was literally the only thing Emi could sense aside from the floor underneath her.

Then she heard it. There was a light, crisp tapping upon the floor, as if someone with thick soled dress shoes was headed their way. She heard them slow until they stopped, frighteningly close in the all-encompassing darkness.

"I sense you, Devil," Bernael said, "you smell so much like my wife… your evil, your malign presence, but there's something else too. Something different…"

There was a pause, and then a long, deep breath was inhaled, followed by the smacking of lips.

"Celestial force," Bernael said in a curious voice.

"Hmm. Now, Satan, I'm not sure if you know this, but that stuff will kill you. Why, this one time Beliel accidentally ingested some after being expelled from Heaven. Poor girl almost died," Bernael said, hissing the last word.

Emi shook where she knelt upon the cold, hard floor at Maou's feet, her hand still held in his as she listened to Bernael speak with growing dread. A strange feeling assaulted her, and she felt her fear being drained by some unseen force. The emotion was siphoned out by Maou, who had no intention of having Emi be discovered where she knelt at his side. Her fear would be a dead giveaway, so he sucked it up and channeled it into his aura, making a dark whirlwind swirl about them and casting an atmosphere of dread upon the place as Bernael spoke to him.

"You seem to have a little more power than I anticipated," Bernael commented, "but no matter, no matter, you'll fall too."

There was a strange sound, like metal being scraped upon metal. Too late, Emi realized what that sound was: a sword being drawn from its sheathe. There was a moment of dread, and then the sound of a long metal blade slicing through the air broke the silence. Splatters of blood struck Emi across the face, and the hand holding hers went slack as Maou the Demon King fell to the ground, struck down by Bernael, who traipsed off in search of Emi. She just about let loose a sob, but the hand holding hers shakily gripped her, and through a mental link, Maou whispered at her to remain quiet so that Bernael couldn't hear her. Emi felt great tears obscure her already dead vision and she blinked them away furiously, trying to make no sound as she moved. She felt Maou's body… he was on his back. She felt one way, and suddenly she felt the rough texture of his pants… whoops.

Emi worked her hands the other way until she found a pool of sticky wetness. Her sense of smell picked up the ruddy iron scent of blood and her fingers were soon covered with what she knew was Maou's blood. He grabbed her wrists involuntarily, the area around the wound was so sore and Maou had had just about enough of all the pain. He was so very tired… perhaps just a few moments of rest would be nice. He was roughly shaken by Emi, who felt his grip slack for a moment.

"Stay with me," she breathed, her chest tight as she held Maou, "don't go to sleep. Stay awake."

"But I'm so tired," Maou gurgled past the blood in his throat. He swallowed and tried again.

"Just a few minutes, I swear I'll get back up and fight, just let me sleep."

"You're delirious," Emi hissed as she pressed her hands against the wound.

"Agh," he spluttered, his body wracked with bolts of lightning as Emi pressed her hands against the gaping slash in his chest.

"Shhh."

"Emi…"

"What is it, Maou," she whispered back, trying her best to remain calm and quiet as Bernael stalked about the darkness, searching for his last victim.

"Go…"

"I'm not just gonna leave you, stupid," Emi breathed as she lay down next to Maou, still holding his wound as best as she could in the darkness surrounding her.

"Please…"

"No."

"Emi, I'm toast," Maou wheezed quietly, "go now, find Ashiya and-hurg-Crestia… get them back to Ente Isla. Please, you guys are all I have. Emi, don't make me-"

He spluttered and gagged on more blood, but he hadn't the strength left to swallow it back, so he held his mouth open and let it drain as best he could, out the side of his mouth and onto the floor, away from the Hero.

"Don't make… me beg …"

"Maou," Emi whispered, but no response came.

"Maou? MAOU?!"

But still, no response came. Somehow, Maou could still hear Emi. He could almost feel her presence, too, but he wanted to yell at her to shut up and keep quiet.

'What are you doing,' Maou thought, his mind strangely clear as he drifted into oblivion, 'I'm right here, shut up, he'll hear you!'

Maou couldn't see anything, but somehow he heard something as his senses failed him.

"Found you," a voice whispered above Maou, two black eyes glinting in the darkness above him, only visible because they seemed to absorb and exude darkness at the same time.

Bernael heard the dying gargles of the Devil. It must have been painful, to think that he was dying without conquering Ente Isla, but that was for lesser beings. Bernael was the Angel of Darkness, and in the Darkness, his will was absolute. Or at least he thought it was. Still, why could he not find the Hero? Her Celestial Force had burned with a luminescence few possessed, but now he couldn't find it. Another sound reached Bernael's ears, a loud, exaggerated cry of pain.

'I have half a mind to go back and stab him again if he doesn't just die soon,' Bernael thought, rolling his pitch black eyes.

'Wait,' he thought, 'Celestial Force…'

There had been some in the Devil… but how? Obviously, Crestia Bell had been poisoning them… but if that was the case, the Demon King would likely have been demented, unhinged from the Heavenly power… unless there was more than one person within that aura of terror and evil that the Devil had created.

Bernael rounded back in the direction of his fallen adversary, stepping lightly and keeping his ears sharp for any sign. Sure enough, he heard voices, two of them, one obviously a female. Both were low to the ground, and both sounded desperate.

'My, my,' Bernael thought, 'the Devil was protecting the Hero? No wonder I couldn't find her, I never would have guessed _that_. Still, I suppose this explains why the Devil never came for Beliel.'

Bernael raised his sword so that he was ready to stab downward at the source of the female voice. His black eyes glinted in the darkness, and his final thought was one of victory as he prepared to thrust.

"Found you," Bernael hissed.

Raphael's eyes opened suddenly. He felt energy coursing through his limbs, even as his life drained away. His Celestial Force was revitalizing him, and after he noticed his wounds were gone, he realized why. His body had become a vessel of an enormous amount of power. Being the Angel of Love, he had the ability to absorb it and turn it into power, much like demons did with fear, but what he wanted to know was where the power was coming from. He felt around with his emotional sensors, but there was nothing nearby, save an inordinate amount of sorrow and grief. But love? Well, there were some residual traces, sure, but the source of those traces could not be a more confusing subject for Raphael… the Devil, whose corpse was slowly draining of life, was exuding love. What was more confusing was the Hero, whom he could sense right next to the Devil, her sadness over his death overflowing out into the darkness around her. But this made no sense, how did he have so much power? It would take quite a lot of love to fill him like this, indeed he found he had more power than he did in Heaven. It would take something completely selfless, a sacrifice, to save the life of someone dear to the Devil, who was the only one who still had traces of love within his heart, rather than just terror and sadness and pain, which seemed to instill itself in everyone as soon as they were engulfed in Bernael's darkness.

"Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends, John 15:13," Raphael quoted, feeling his power burst through the dam in his chest and light up the darkness surrounding him.

Bernael paused, his sword prepared to strike down at the Hero, when a light burst forth from behind him. It was not a normal light, it exuded a feeling of love, but to each individual person, that love meant something different. To enemies of the Archangel Raphael, it filled them with loneliness and despair. For those who counted themselves as friends or allies of the angel, they found themselves bolstered and rejuvenated by Raphael's power, which made them remember those for whom they fought. Their loved ones, their friends, their families, and everyone they had ever known. Bernael turned about, his sword dropping to his side as he gazed upon Raphael with hatred as tears fell from his eyes.

"You would make me relive my loneliness? You would force me to watch as I killed the woman I love over and over and over and over," Bernael shouted at the angel, looking insane.

"I would! I am the Archangel of Love, and you have been nothing but an affront to my divine authority!"

Raphael's wings burst from his back, and for all to see his power was indeed great: his wings spanned out almost ten feet upon either side, perhaps a bit longer, and they glowed with power. Bernael's wings appeared as well, almost as large as Raphael's as he wept.

"You forced me to do this," Bernael shouted, "you are the ones who made me kill my wife!"

"You did that yourself," Raphael said, his red eyes glowing with a bloody light, "you struck her down out of selfishness and by doing so you showed your true intentions. She was just a tool, someone you admired for their beauty and their skills. There was no love, only usefulness."

At Raphael's side, Urushihara began to stir. He had been so sure he was pretty much dead, it wouldn't surprise him if that were how it ended, but then something incredible happened, something he hadn't felt in years. Celestial Force had drained into him, and it didn't poison him. In truth, it made him feel nostalgic and incredibly powerful, but he couldn't help but wonder where he got it. As he clawed his way to his feet, he knew the source of his newfound power. It had been Raphael, whether intentionally or by accident, his own power had overflowed into Urushihara and revived him. But even with these amazing happenings, Urushihara felt something stir in his navel, and for some reason the only person he could think about was-

"Suzuno," Lucifer whispered.

With that one name, and with all of Lucifer's attentions focused upon the woman of his affections, Raphael's wings grew. Urushihara opened his wings, and to his surprise found they were white and glowing, just like Raphael's, only they were a bit shorter than his.

"Give up, Bernael," Urushihara said.

"Why should I," Bernael asked with a shrug.

"Because, you obviously don't have the power to fend off all of us," Raphael supplied, "it looks to me like you're sagging a bit, there."

Raphael nodded at the fallen angel, and everyone could see what he meant. Bernael looked completely different than he had when the battle had started. He looked unsure, though his cocky smile remained upon his face. His sword hung limp at his side, the collar of his coat was crimpled and uneven, his hair was disheveled and his face was incredibly pale. He shook where he stood and he was covered with a thin sheen of sweat.

"Just stress," Bernael suggested casually, "if you guys killed the women you loved, you'd feel a bit off color too."

"Hmph," Raphael huffed, crossing his arms, "it saddens me to think the great Beliel was stuck here with you for two hundred years. I am glad she ended up choosing the right path. Even after all these years, she still cared more for the denizens of Ente Isla than she ever did for you. I feel that she has taken her place in Paradise."

"Do not speak of Beliel in my presence," Bernael shouted, his voice rising with each word until he was shouting hysterically, "do not sully her name with your poisoned words, Raphael!"

"What do you think, Lucifer, should we destroy him together," Raphael asked, ignoring Bernael and glancing at Lucifer.

"I generally try not to associate myself with Heaven, nor any of its lackeys," Urushihara said, earning a reproachful look from Raphael, "but in this case, I'll make an exception. Let's wipe the floor with this asshole."

"Big talk for you, Lucifer," Bernael sneered, "let's see you back it up!"

Bernael charged the aura of light, and Raphael held out his hand, a sword of blazing scarlet light appearing in it, while Urushihara did the same, a sword of shining violet bursting to life in his palm. The three angels collided, but for all their blows, their cries of effort and their grunts of pain, Emi paid none of it any mind. In her eyes, only one thing mattered, and that was the prone outline of the Demon King next to her. Her negativity was pulled from her as the Devil's body fought for survival, and though her emotions were great, she feared they would not be enough. Relief surged through her when he coughed and spluttered, miraculously still alive.

"Maou," Emi said, "are you alright, can you hear me?"

"Yeah," Maou said, trying to sit up, "argh…"

He fell back and laid there shivering, unable to move. He looked down to see a pool of blood about him. He was covered in it, but still, it seemed Emi's emotions had been just enough to save him. He had some magic left over as well, so he laid a hand against his chest and tried to heal himself, but his mind was still so fuddled from almost dying that he couldn't access the magic. Emi, seeing his motives, gently grasped his hand and set it at Maou's side before she took up a kneeling position at his side and laid her own hands upon his chest. The blood was still warm and it was drying quickly, but Emi paid it no mind as she used the Celestial Force she'd gained from Raphael, which was quite a bit, to heal Maou.

"It's so itchy," Maou said, trying to itch at his chest until Emi swatted his hands away and continued the spell.

"Well, duh," Emi said, "healing magic always feels like this."

"Not mine," Maou said with a smile, thinking about how it was always his job to give the Hero incredible amounts of shit.

"Oh? And what does your healing magic feel like, if you have any?"

"It feels like being burned alive, or maybe just cauterizing a wound," Maou said.

"And how is that better than an itch," Emi asked with a frown.

"Because, I'm rather be burned alive than have to sit here and itch for eternity. It's like I have bugs all over me," Maou said.

Emi wanted to give the Devil a good fist to the back of his head, but she figured it would be counterproductive, so she simply turned magenta in the face and smiled her best evil smile.

"I could make it so that bugs were all over you, if you like," Emi said sweetly, batting her eyelashes.

"No, that's fine."

Maou, whose eyes had been shut, opened them to find Emi's appearance had changed. Raphael's overflow of power had caused her to transform into the Hero, with long, silvery hair and red eyes.

"Let's take this outside," shouted a voice.

Maou and Emi turned to find Bernael, with a hand raised towards the ceiling. A large black spot appeared upon the ceiling before it was blown upward, sending shrapnel and pieces of masonry everywhere. Bernael's wings snapped as he took to the air and flew through the hole, pursued by two flashes of light that had to have been Urushihara and Raphael.

"Geez," Maou said grumpily, "once again I'm confined to the sidelines while everyone else fights the battle."

"Hey, no problem, it's not like I just saved you months of painful recovery, freaking ingrate," Emi said with a scowl.

"Uh, no offense meant, but even you have to admit, I usually seem to get stuck on the backburner while everyone else goes out and has all the fun… not that I'm complaining, I'm about done, physically and magically. I'm lucky to be alive," Maou said quietly, gazing up at the display of lights as three figures darted at each other, their great wings flapping as they dive bombed each other like birds of prey.

"It's doesn't look like it's going too well," Emi said, looking up at the hole in the ceiling at the battle.

"Raphael's power is fading," Maou said, "look, he and Urushihara seem to be slowing down."

"Shit… what are we gonna do," Emi exclaimed, stamping her foot, "where are Suzuno and Ashiya? All we have are two angels who are fading fast and a Devil and a Hero who are both drained."

"But you have power, don't you," Maou asked, looking at Emi's silver locks and her red irises.

"I have some, yeah, but not enough to make any real difference in battle, besides, it's best I stay here to make sure you're ok… can't have you dying on me," Emi said, glancing at Maou before looking away and blushing.

Maou sighed and held the bridge of his nose. He feared that was case, yet that was to be expected, Beliel had been far more powerful than either of them had anticipated, and Emi's power wasn't enough to stave off Bernael in his deranged state.

"They're failing faster," Emi said quietly, wrapping her arms about herself to stop from shaking, "they… they might actually lose."

"C'mon Urushihara," Maou said, "you can do this… GO MORNINGSTAR!"

Urushihara, who was fighting with all he had to fend off Bernael's vicious onslaught, was distracted by Maou's encouragement, resulting in him being blasted by a blot of black lightning. He flipped and tumbled as he rocketed right into the side of a building, hard enough to crack it and break several windows. He shook it off pretty well, but shook a fist at the hole where Maou and Emi were watching him and shouted back.

"DUDE, I'M TRYING TO SAVE THE WORLD HERE! STOP DISTRACTING ME DAMMIT!"

"MY BAD! YOU'RE DOING GREAT! GOOD WORK!"

Maou decided to remain quiet, but even as he watched, Raphael and Urushihara seemed to get slower and slower. Their movements became sluggish and their wings began to shrink, though not too much. Bernael must have sensed their flagging strength, as his seemed to redouble.

"Is this it," Emi asked, looking pale as her hair turned red once more and her eyes faded back to green.

"Is this what?"

"The end," Emi whispered, looking at Maou with wide eyes.

"What do you-"

"Think about it," Emi said, "if we don't stop Bernael, he'll stay here and grow more and more powerful, until he finally decides to return to Ente Isla. Then he'll have an entire world of power from which to draw as he attacks. We need to stop him now, or it's the end of both worlds as we know it."

"How," Maou asked, "unless we can power up Raphael and Urushihara somehow, there's no way we can win. Not even Ashiya and Suzuno could hope to stop him now."

"Love," Emi said, a revelation dawning upon her as she thought about it.

'I may be the Hero, and he may be the Devil, but I have a duty to save the world from evil, whether the Devil consents or not,' Emi thought savagely.

"I have an idea," Emi said, sidling up to Maou, "it's not great, but it's something, and it goes against everything I've been taught… but if it's to save the world…"

"Just spit it out already," Maou said, "what's your idea."

"Kiss me," Emi said, blushing furiously.

"What?!"

"Oh, just shut up and do it," Emi said grabbing Maou by the collar of his shirt and pulling him close, "make like it's someone you actually care about and pucker up for the sake of the world."

Emi and Maou scowled at each other, and then, without warning, they fell together. The kiss was not passionate. Their eyes remained opened and locked upon the ariel battle above them, but still, their lips remained pressed together. Maou, in his desperation, had sucked in his lips so that he didn't feel quite so intimate.

"Noffings happening," Maou spoke through their contact, his eyes firmly planted upon the battle rather than Emi's blushing face.

"Sphut up," Emi replied through narrowly opened lips, "I can tafte your breaff, it'ff awful."

They mashed their faces together, so it was less like a kiss and more like a furiously irritating conversation between two people who had very little room to move.

"Thiff iff ftupid," Maou sighed through gritted teeth and sore lips as he tried to swing Emi to the side so he could watch the fight.

"I ffaid kiff me," Emi said, "not touch me, idiot!"

"Oh, ffcrew you," Maou said, his stomach churning wildly as he fought his body for control, "fftupid Hero wiff fftupid ideaff."

But even though both were outwardly disgusted, their inward reactions were surprisingly different. Emi's butterflies were back, and they were dancing about violently in her navel from her contact with the Demon King, while Maou was internally reliving every private moment he had spent with the Hero, and every moment when she had appeared more beautiful than ever before.

'So, this is the true power of a Hero,' Maou thought, 'I guess she _is_ the only one who can stop the Devil… tell you what, she can defeat me any time she likes, I won't even complain.'

Maou had a rush of adrenaline, on top of the thousands of other hormones that shot through his bloodstream when he had begun to kiss the Hero. And on top of that, he could've sworn her heard the victorious brazen sound of trumpets as his wildest fantasies reached their climax. The Devil clenched every muscle in his body in an attempt to control the feverish shaking that had taken it by storm. Then, however, he did something extraordinarily foolish. Without thinking, or even giving the slightest thought as to the consequences of his actions, Maou tried to wet his lips, only to run his tongue across Emi's lips in the process. Their lackluster connection broke, and Emi stiff armed Maou in the face in an effort to push him away.

"EEEWWWW!"

"OOOOWWWW!"

"Stupid Devil," Emi said, spitting, "what do you think you're doing, huh?"

"I was just trying to lick my lips, they're chapped! I wasn't getting into it! And now look, you gave me a fat lip!"

"This isn't helping," Emi declared, stomping up to Maou, "get it together and let's do this!"

"Hold up a sec," Maou said, breathing fast as his heart raced and a little voice in his head called for their immediate reconnection, "we need to feed Raphael's love or whatever, so we need to picture someone we love, who were you thinking about?"

"I wasn't thinking about anyone," Emi said defensively, her face turning red, "what about you, hmm? Who was it, Beliel? Chiho?"

"It was Beliel," Maou lied, disguising his feelings, much to the frustration of the little voice in his head, who wanted him to pounce upon Emi like a mountain lion.

"Go figure," Emi said, "the Devil would be a pedophile. You into little girls, you sick fuck?"

"What? NO! What about you, little miss know it all? Thinking of daddy as you kiss Satan? Incest isn't attractive either! Or maybe you were thinking about Olba, he's a little old for you, isn't he?"

"Say that to my face, you little shit," Emi said, putting her face right in Maou's, though in a much less desirable way.

"This is getting out of hand," Maou stated, pulling at his collar and taking a few steps back, "let's just get this over with, ok? Make sure you have… whoever it is you're thinking about in the forefront of your mind, ok?"

"I'm not sure I can do that again…"

"Yeah," Maou said nonchalantly, crossing his arms, "you're right. I'll just forget about Alciel and the whole 'both worlds is at stake thing' and I'll go home to my EMPTY APARTMENT AND JUST WAIT FOR HELL TO RISE FROM THE DEPTHS OF THE EARTH, BECAUSE THE HERO WASN'T WILLING TO TRY AND HELP SAVE THE WORLD!"

Maou couldn't help but to shout at Emilia. He was so very sore, both inside and out, and his feelings were shot by the constant strain of closeness that Emi was privy to as the Hero. He was sad because he couldn't have her, he was depressed about Ashiya, and to top it all off, Raphael and Lucifer were slowly but surely losing the battle.

"I'm sorry," Emi said quietly, "but you're the Devil, I can't just forgive you and forget all that you've done."

"Only half right, Emi," Maou retorted just as quietly, "you may not be able to forget, but you can forgive… you just won't. I bet if you set aside your hatred of the Demon King Satan and opened up to me, Maou, you might feel a bit better about doing what we have to do to save everyone."

Emi didn't want to say it, but Maou was right. In the end, only she had the power to forgive Satan for all he had done. His goals, while previously muddled, were admirable to some extent and his change of heart since he had become human was incredible. Emi swallowed past her pain, and slowly she moved towards Maou, a strange look in her eyes. For the first time, she didn't see Maou as the Devil, she saw him as Maou, the hardworking MgRonalds employee and steadfast defender of his friends. The change in perspective rendered her speechless and she stepped right up to him. Their eyes met, the red and the green, and for the second time that night, Maou's millennia was made.

The second kiss was totally different. There was passion, there was something there, a spark upon which Emi and Maou threw gasoline without caution. Raphael's aura of love may have had something to do with it, but the both of them kissed, and thought not of other people, but of each other.

"It's time we end this, Bernael," Raphael shouted, "Lucifer, do you remember Angel Formation Protocol Number 21?"

"Of course," Lucifer said as he swiped a blast of darkness to his side and countered with a beam of lilac energy.

"Commence the attack, now!"

"Don't tell me what to do!"

Together, Raphael and Urushihara created a large orb in their hands. With mirrored movements, they brought the orbs up over their heads, and then thrust them at each other, forming an even larger orb between them. Intense pressure began to build, and they let it build for a moment before they both turned and threw their unified attack at Bernael. It was a single beam of energy, constant and powerful, that shot towards Bernael with the speed of light. Bernael, who was familiar with Angel Formation Protocol Number 21, stopped and waited for the attack, intending to show them his true power. The intertwined beams of crimson and violet wound their way towards him, only to be intercepted by a larger beam of pure darkness. For a moment, Raphael and Urushihara feared they were being overwhelmed as the meeting of the energies slowly slipped towards them.

"Son of a-" Urushihara grunted as he poured all of his might into the attack.

"We're done for if we don't get any back up," Raphael said, veins throbbing in his forehead as he fought to keep the darkness at bay.

Emi and Maou were now locked together in an embrace closer than most young lovers. Their bodies were pressed together, their kiss was gentle and tender, yet fiery and electrified and their hands roamed over each other as they bonded. Maou ran his fingers through Emi's hair, noting how soft and wonderful it was with his eyes closed. He could smell her shampoo and he felt her hands move up his spine and around his neck as she pulled him closer.

"Mmmm," she moaned into Maou's mouth as they stumbled on the spot.

"Hmmmhmhmhm," Maou said, laughing into the Hero's kiss as he thought of the possibility of him and the Hero becoming an item.

'Oh god,' he thought, 'how would Ashiya react?'

The two of them slowly walked, Maou guiding Emi as they moved. Within moments, they were against the wall, and Maou's demonic carnal instincts took hold. Emi breathed out, and Maou could feel the breath as it left her lungs. As soon as she had fully exhaled, Maou pressed himself upon her, like a boa constrictor crushing its dinner. He was not overly fierce, but it made Emi moan and blush as the Demon King literally took her breath away. Maou's demon senses were tingling. For a moment, he wasn't sure if he was going to eat the Hero alive, or simply continue kissing her, both sounded good and Maou began to kiss at Emi's neck, his hands roaming and squeezing as they went. Suddenly, Emi's eyes were wide, and the Devil from her nightmares, the one that sought control of Ente Isla, was before her once more, nibbling at the nape of her neck and pinning her against the wall. She took a breath and pulled away for a moment, noting the red glow in Maou's eyes.

"Too much," he asked, looking down at her with a determined expression that Emi took to mean he was ready to save the world some more.

"No," she said, "I just… nevermind."

They both resumed their contact, though Maou now kept careful tabs upon his demon side, which had threatened to overwhelm him for a moment. He pulled Emi away from the wall as they kissed and simply held onto the woman of his affections as they pressed their lips together. A sound from outside alerted both Maou and Emi to changes in the battle, and almost simultaneously, Bernael was thrown down through the roof and onto the floor of the museum while Suzuno and Ashiya broke through a window. Maou and Emi broke apart, their part in the battle obviously complete with Bernael's sudden downfall. Suzuno and Ashiya looked around, wondering what had just fallen through the ceiling and Maou and Emi did their best to appear tired and worn out, though in reality both were incredibly hyper attentive and focused. Of course, they were primarily focused on each other. Both were breathless and red in the face, looking anywhere but at each other. Suzuno and Ashiya both looked fierce, a true picture of those whom had a score to settle, but then they saw Bernael get up from the rubble, his wings short and weak. Urushihara and Raphael flew in through the second hole created by Bernael's fall, both looking incredibly happy and immensely powerful. Their wings were far larger than anyone could've anticipated, and they glowed with a shining silvery light that seemed to envelope them in their entirety.

"Let me guess," Ashiya said, lowering his hands, which glowed with green energy, "I missed the battle again, sire?"

"At least you didn't stop to get your cape, this time," Maou said, waving his hand, "besides, I didn't do much in the battle either, I just sat down here and waited for these guys to win."

A strange reaction followed Maou's statement: Raphael, looked quizzically at the Devil and the Hero. He knew where the power came from, though not how it had been manifested, and he had no way of proving it… it just seemed so unlikely. Still, he said nothing as he eyed the Devil carefully. Emi glanced subconsciously as Maou while Ashiya, on the other hand, rounded upon Urushihara.

"Why did you not lend his majesty your aid, Urushihara?!"

"This is ridiculous, you're gonna yell at me after I beat up the guy who kidnapped you? And besides, look at these wings, you idiot, they're white, not black! If I gave him my power, he'd probably die from Celestial poisoning," Urushihara rebutted loudly.

Everything stopped when Bernael cleared his throat.

"Uh, still here guys," he said quietly.

Everyone glared at the fallen angel, whose power had severely diminished. He had a bad nosebleed, a few missing teeth and blood dripped from his temple. His suit was in tatters and he looked like he would've been knocked over by a rogue breeze, but everyone still regarded him as a threat.

"Bernael," Raphael said flatly, walking toward the rubble where he stood, "Angel of Darkness, I hereby take you into custody to face crimes against humanity and for the death of the angel, Beliel. You will be tried by the court of the Highest and Almighty and you will comply with any orders you are given unless you wish death."

"You can't stop me," Bernael said, a manic fire in his eyes, "I draw my power from darkness!"

"There is nothing but light here," Raphael said angrily, activating his power and lighting up the entire display room, which was in shambles, with divine light.

"You can light up the room all you want," Bernael said, crossing his arms, tilting his head and frowning at the waves of purified light that the angel was sending outward, "but you cannot light up what lies within you."

The light stopped, and Raphael looked like he was choking. His eyes bulged, his face turned red and he gripped his chest like it was burning.

"Yes, now you get it… the Darkness within each and every person is what gives me power. And that's the great thing, everyone has this darkness, to some extent, some more than others. It is that wild anger you feel when you are wronged, that involuntary reaction when you are upset, the urge to simply break down and give up when all seems lost! All of these things, coupled with your deepest and darkest fears are what I feed off of! Let's see what _your_ darkness does, shall we?"

Bernael snapped his fingers, and the Archangel Raphael's eyes turned black as he was taken over by the fallen angel's power. He suddenly stopped struggling as the darkness took hold and he frowned, turning slowly to look at everyone around him.

"Kill them," Bernael said, looking at his fingernails.

Raphael did as he was commanded, swinging his large fists out at anyone and everyone aside from Bernael.

"Shit," Maou yelped as a fist arced over his head.

Lucifer, however, was still brimming with power, and he met Raphael in battle. The fallen angel conjured a sword of pure light as Raphael charged him, and with one graceful blow, he swung it clear through Raphael. There was no physical damage, but Raphael's eyes faded from black to red and he dropped onto the floor, panting.

"Angel of Light, remember," Urushihara said, swinging his sword, "purifies the Darkness and all that…"

"No matter. I have several others whose darkness is far greater than Raphael's… let's give them a show, Satan!"

And with a snap of Bernael's fingers, the Devil became a slave to his own darkness, trapped in a cage of despair, sins, and certain overwhelming emotions of unrequited affections.

 **Christ on a crutch, this is a long chapter. Ok, so when I began this chapter, I intended to end it with Bernael's ultimate defeat, and with his being dragged back to Ente Isla by Raphael. Turns out I lied... to myself! Also, MaouxEmi, everyone! I wrote a lot of this when I was dead tired, so the kissing scene was a bit much, I know, and not very in character, and I'm sure there's a plot hole in there somewhere, but I don't care. Also, I have a couple of songs for each of the scenes, which I will describe later. The quote that Raphael recites is, again, from the Bible, cause I like to think Raphael is a 'by the book' angel. I feel like I'm missing something I wanted to discuss with my readers, but I can't remember what it was now... oh well. Anyway, this chapter was very experimental... for instance, you might find I threw in a few humorous instances... if you didn't find them I probably didn't write them right. I also spent some time changes in perspective and everyone's personal thoughts as the scene unfolded, which is how it played out in my head: a large scale battle, in which Raphael and Urushihara are busy fighting a losing battle and Maou and Emi have to act as batteries for the Angel of Love. Alright, so for those songs..**

 **During Maou and Emi's kissing scenes, I listened to:**

 **watch?v=t0imaSCnSuA**

 **During the scenes with both Emi and Maou in the darkness, I listened to this:**

 **watch?v=1TG4LBBXedc**

 **In particular, the part where the lyrics go "I heard your heart beating, you were in the darkness, too... so I stayed in the darkness, with you." Fucking righteous.**

 **And for the entire chapter, I listned to this:**

 **watch?v=IztjWxOcouE**

 **Cause everyone died and was brought back to life because I'm a terrible author that can't kill characters... WAIT, nevermind! Sorry, Beliel!**


	14. The Devil and the Hero: Darkness Falls

The first thing Maou noticed was that he was no longer in his own body… or perhaps he was… whatever the case, he seemed to be floating in a black mist. He retained his devil form, yet he saw nothing around him. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and tried to drift forward, through the darkness. He came upon several bars of light that seemed to form a cage, and just past the bars of his prison, Maou saw a dark figure, standing before two windows. The figure turned and grinned at him, revealing black hair, black eyes and fangs, yet it also had horns protruding from its head, one of which had been sliced off. It was Maou, except it wasn't. It was the darkness from within him, rising to take control. Maou, the good one, battered against the bars of his cage, but to no avail. The bars glowed brightly and with a flash, he was cast back into the dark mist.

"Son of a… how am I supposed to get out of here," Maou asked himself.

"There is no escape."

The black eyed Maou had turned to face his caged counterpart, smiling evilly as he gripped the bars of light that blocked his twin's access.

"You are taking the back seat in this little venture… you kept me sealed away your entire life, considering me to be useless and demeaning. I kept us alive when you were young, I gave you the tenacity to rise above any other demon and become a king! And you locked me away when you had no use of me! You threw me into a dark pit with nothing but your most crippling doubts and fears and you left me there to rot!"

"What are you," the red eyed Maou asked, glaring at his evil clone.

"I am your demonic instincts. I am your true nature… but I am not without mercy. You have been given much more freedom than I! I gave you a clear view of me as I prepare to destroy those you once called friends! You can watch, helpless, as I annihilate them! And along with them, I think your will to fight will leave as well, you'll give in to me, cause I will be all you have left."

"I don't think so," Maou said, smiling and looking past his counterpart to peer out of the windows that were his physical eyes.

The evil Maou turned and he saw an angel coming for him, wings wide and purple blade poised to pierce right through him. The blow met, and the sword passed clear through Maou's physical body as Urushihara sliced into his Overlord. The blow entered Maou's consciousness, where the two Devils were talking, and it rang against the bars of Satan's cell. There was high pitched note of metal on metal, but the bars remained where they were.

Lucifer took a breath and turned to look at his king, but he was horrified to find his attack had done nothing, Maou's eyes were black as ever and he looked positively thrilled as he stepped toward Urushihara.

"Light will not save you now," Maou growled as he swiped a clawed hand at the fallen angel, causing him to be thrown back into Suzuno, who caught him with her hammer, and threw him bodily back at the Devil with a heavy swing.

Alciel leapt forward as well, digging deep to find his courage.

'This is not my king,' he thought to himself as he shot several beams of emerald energy at the Devil.

Emi, however, was frozen. As all the others took action, Emi could barely move as she stared at the black eyed being before her. He was hunched and his clothes were in tatters as they hung about his muscled frame. He looked almost exactly like he had in her nightmares, regal, yet evil and powerful beyond belief. Emi's legs turned to jello and her gut twisted itself into knots as she shook, her fists clenched. It had seemed like only second ago their lips had been pressed together and they had been entwined in the throes of passion. So why was she so horrified this had happened? Why did this make her quake in her shoes and want to drop her sword, which had manifested itself with Emi's sudden and incomprehensible fear.

"Maou," she whispered to herself, wishing the man within the Devil could hear her lamentation. She turned and found Bernael leaning against the wall, smirking as he watched the Devil fight his friends.

"Geez," he said, "I never thought very much of the guy… maybe that was wrong of me, after all, he is the Devil. Still, why are you so afraid, Emilia?"

Bernael's violet eyes bored into Emi's as she realized he was speaking to her. She turned to face him, her sword heavy in her hand as she wet her lips in preparation for a response.

"I'm not afraid," she said weakly, her voice filled with what she knew to be fear.

"Denial," Bernael asked, sensing her emotions, "what is there to deny in this situation, Hero? Denying your fear, or is it something else…"

The snarky fallen angel of Darkness narrowed his eyes at the Hero, his smirk widening as he dug through her emotional muck with his power.

"No, not denial of your fear… denial of the Devil? What," Bernael asked, raising an eyebrow, "how are you denying the Devil? He's real, you've been stalking him for a while now, haven't you?"

He rubbed his chin and thought hard as he continued to dig around in Emi's head. She tried to shut him out, but he already had his mental probe firmly lodged in her cranium.

"No, denial of… what is this… wait!"

Bernael snapped his fingers and Emi jumped, almost expecting energy to shoot from his fingertips and smite her.

"You in denial of the Devil, cause you regard him and Maou as separate individuals! That's rich! And what is…"

Bernael's eyes widened and Emi felt him search through her recent memories, including those in which she and Maou had kissed. The fallen angel giggled slightly, the pitch rising and falling until he was laughing maniacally, wiping away tears as he doubled over and clutched the fractured pillar next to him for support.

"Holy shit- HAHAHAHAHA- OH MY HAHahahahHAHAAAAA! That's just-HA- oh good god, this explains a lot! Haha, and it's so sad as well! Who'd have thought that you and the Devil would ever fraternize like that," Bernael hissed, still giggling slightly.

"Shut up," Emi said, her voice surprisingly hard.

"Oh, Emilia, what would the Church say if they could see you now? The Hero and the Devil, together and happy! How many kids are you guys having then, hmm? Will you hang up your Sacred Sword and take up the ladle and the butter knife to feed your abominable offspring? Will there be demons throwing shit and shanking each other at your wedding as Satan and you fornicate on the altar?! I swear, you humans are disgusting. And to think you're half angel… ugh, I feel myself getting sick just thinking that you and I are related!"

"Shut up you bastard," Emi said quietly, her sword no longer shaking as she stepped threateningly at the fallen angel, who continued to look smug as she kicked her way through the rubble toward him.

"What will you do, Hero? I can feel the darkness within you, it is much more than I usually get to manipulate… I'll enjoy turning you into my puppet," Bernael said holding out a hand and using his mental presence within her mind to establish dominance.

Emi felt the darkness within her rise. It was horrible, but on the other hand it was also relieving, like a cool, refreshing drink of water after a walk through the desert. It was nice to have all of her horrible feelings cast to the forefront of her mind, where she could find and categorize them appropriately, rather than letting them eat away at her. Emi's eyes turned black and the Evolving Holy Sword's blade became stained with darkness as well, though her footsteps continued as she walked toward Bernael.

"Stop right there," he commanded.

Emi felt the darkness within her surge to obey, but Emi wrestled with her own demons, forcing them to heed her will. They were hers and hers alone to control. Emi stopped, one foot raised to step forward, twitching as she fought a fierce battle in her own head. There was a moment where she feared she would lose, but then the foot came down, and after a few slow, shaky steps, her pace was resumed.

"What the- STOP," Bernael shrieked, waving a hand and commanding the evil within Emi to obey.

"What's the matter," Emi asked, grabbing Bernael by the scruff of his tattered Italian sports coat and pulling him dangerously close to her, "something not working like it should?"

"Your Darkness is mine to control," Bernael said savagely.

"No," Emi said, her face contorting to a look of frightening anger, "this is _my_ darkness, not yours. This is my pain and suffering at the hands of the church. This is my disdain for demons, this is my loathing for people like you who abuse their power to subjugate others, and this is the spiteful vengeance I hid away from the world so I could act as the perfect hero. I wasn't born without emotions, I buried them so that I could do what was right. I put everyone else ahead of myself, and not once did I get a thank you, not once did anyone tell me good job, these things were expected of me. I was never to be selfish, or angry, or scared, or outraged. I was supposed to keep these things under lock and key… but now you've let them out, and they don't feel like doing what you want. You see, underlying all of that negativity, there was a deep, intense loathing of authority, and those who try to impose it upon me. I may be the Hero, but this is a rare opportunity for me to let loose. This is the time to be selfish, and I won't let you control me!"

Emi dragged Bernael around, and she threw him bodily across the room, but his wings opened and caught his fall, allowing him to control his flight and alight upon the ground the right way up. Too late, he noticed Emi had followed him, with her sword held high over her head as she bounded towards him. Bernael focused his power, and he willed the Hero to go boneless. Her darkness struggled against him and after a moment of uncertain freefalling, she regained her self-control and swung at him, cleaving the pile of fallen bricks he'd landed upon in two. He leapt off the pile, staring with fear at the Hero, who looked an odd combination of angry and happy, as if she'd accidentally pulled the pin on a grenade in a room full of her worst enemies.

Sadly, even with Bernael distracted by Emi, Maou was still having trouble distracting his inner demon as it sought to destroy his friends. More than once, there was a close call where he thought he might have seriously hurt one of them, but then they were rescued by one of their comrades, and together they struck at him from all sides. Suzuno used magic combined with her hammer in an attempt to lay waste to the Demon King, but her hammer struck his aura of black and red power and bounced off. Alciel remained at a distance, hurling piles of debris and rubble at his lord and master, while Urushihara and Raphael fought together, using every trick in the book to try and help the devil regain his control.

"Get a hold of yourself, Satan," Raphael said, slamming a fist of red power into the Devil's shield, "we need you to come back to your senses!"

"I'm trying," Maou shouted, staring into the windows and wishing his friends could hear him, "I'm trying! Just hold on!"

Maou threw himself against the bars. He figured magic would likely set off its wards, so he simply used his muscles upon them. They did not budge beneath his impossibly strong grip, and Maou almost let out a groan of despair as his muscles bulged and his tendons popped. He gritted his teeth and felt as if his arms might tear from their sockets before he finally let up.

"Struggle all you like," evil Maou said, not taking his eyes from the battle, "there's no way to stop me now! When we are done here, we'll have to thank Bernael for releasing me… before we kill him and take his power. Bratty angels have no place in our utopia!"

"Everyone has a place in my world," Maou answered his dark twin, "everyone! We will all live with love in our hearts! We will co-exist and progress further than ever! I won't let you ruin all that we have worked so hard to achieve!"

Maou retreated from the bars, and he whipped about quickly, throwing a barrage of glimmering red power at them. He willed every ounce of power he possessed to beat against the cage relentlessly. He felt pain flow through him as the enchantments of the cage took effect, causing him to almost fall to his knees in agony. The black eyes of the evil counterpart looked over his shoulder, a hint of playful malice upon his face.

"I told you already, there's no use. I've been working on that cage since I was first locked away. It was designed to counter every kind of magic. Nothing will break through it. You can try anything you like, I won't stop you. It is futile."

The black eyed Maou cracked his fingers and flexed his muscles.

"Now, let's see what this body of ours can do, shall we?!"

With a frighteningly fast strike, Maou lunged forward, and he bowled over Raphael as he fought to penetrate Satan's shield. The force field threw the angel back and he hit the wall with a crunch. A blast of green light smote the shield, and the Devil turned, casting a glittering black eye upon his general, Alciel. A tense moment passed, and Maou used his mind to engage in a battle of wits. Back and forth their mental probes flickered until Alciel's eyes rolled back and he fell to the floor, his power dimmed. His tail faded and his fur with it, he once more became human, leaving Urushihara and Suzuno still fighting. They rushed in for a double attack, but their blows went straight through the area where Maou had been. A shadow appeared behind them, and the two rather petite people turned, only to be lifted into the air by their throats, their legs kicking uselessly as Maou's dark eyes bored into theirs.

"No! Lucifer! Suzuno! Fight me off! Dammit, fight me you idiots! Don't just let me win," Maou hollered through the bars as he watched his friends slowly suffocate. Slowly but surely, their faces purpled and their limbs stopped moving as much as they struggled to breath. Suzuno's cheeks were streaked with tears, and surprisingly so were Urushihara's. Maou couldn't watch, he turned away, not able to bear the shame of his actions.

Thud.

It was a strange sound, like a dull, piercing sound, and Maou looked to see a black blade protruding from the chest of his physical body. He dropped Suzuno and Lucifer as the malign Maou growled and frowned. The blade was pulled from the Maou's chest, and he turned to find Emi there. She looked radiant and beautiful to the Maou within the cage, but her eyes were blackened and dull. She frowned at him, her lip curled in a feral snarl as she shook the blood from her blade.

'Emi,' Maou thought, 'no.'

But she couldn't hear him. She growled at Maou, and without warning, she began to slice away at him. He dodged, this way and that, as the dark twin evaded her attacks with apparent ease.

"Get a hold of yourself, Maou," she said loudly, slashing out in a wide arc and sending out holy flames that beat against Maou's skin and made him cringe and cower before her.

Within Maou, the dark entity growled as he glared at Emi through the windows of his eyes.

"So, this is the Hero, huh? I suppose I can see why you fell for her," he said quietly, picking a spot on his chin, "she is actually pretty attractive when she's beholden of the Darkness… maybe I should try to score with her… after she'd dead, of course!"

"You're a sick fuck," the caged Devil said as he gripped the bars of light that kept him from seizing control of his body, "I mean, I thought I was bad because I fell for her, but I didn't know my demon side was into necrophilia."

"One simple rule for that," the evil Demon King said happily, "if the body's warm, it doesn't count as necrophilia."

If Maou hadn't been so intensely scared for his friends, he might have actually laughed at how suddenly his dark side had gotten excited over the thought of Emi's corpse. Still, he did all he could as he silently worked the bars of his prison while his evil counterpart fought Emilia the Hero.

"My, my, the Hero Emilia, all grown up… You look good enough to eat," Maou boomed as he fought against Emi, sparks flying as she cut through his magic projectiles.

"Maou, can you hear me," Emi shouted as she slashed at the energy fired in her direction, "get a hold of yourself!"

"She still has control," Maou realized as he gazed through the bars to stare at Emi's pitch black eyes.

Sure enough, as the body Maou had been taken prisoner in turned and moved about with dizzying rapidity, Maou thought he saw a prone figure with dark hair and a tattered black suit lying still upon the floor, but before he could make it out, the images whirled again, and suddenly Maou saw a figure with waist length red hair with her back to Maou. The caged Overlord shouted, but it was both too late and futile, for she couldn't hear him. The vision of her came closer as the malevolent Devil willed the body to charge forth, catching the Hero unawares. She turned just in time to see the Devil lunging at her, arms outstretched. Her nightmare flashed behind her eyes again, and with one deft movement, she was caught by her throat and pinned against the wall, where she kicked and struggled as the Devil grinned and bared his teeth, his black eyes boring into her own.

"Die, Hero," the Devil hissed softly into Emi's ear.

And for a moment, she felt herself wanting to give in.

'Let it end,' her sore body cried out.

'Give in to his strength,' her doubt seceded.

'Submit to no authority,' her selfish arrogance shouted, 'you are the Hero! No evil can better you, FIGHT!'

Emi's sword had faded, her fear had driven her concentration to its breaking point and she had no weapon. But still, her urge to fight boiled within her. Her inky black anger pulsed through her like venom and she growled at the Devil, even as he tightened his grip upon her throat. Her vision dimmed, stars danced before her eyes. She gripped the Devil's wrist as he held her in place against the stone wall and with a sickening crack, she wrenched the wrist so hard that it broke. The Devil howled like a banshee and dropped Emi, who fell to her knees at his feet and massaged her throat, trying to restore her breathing.

"I was gonna make your death quick and painless, so as not to ruin your good looks… not anymore, DIE HERO!"

Maou kneed Emi and she cracked her head against the wall, her vision going black for a moment and her body rag dolling from the blow. Satan stretched out a hand and pulled back the Hero's hair, kneeling with her upon the floor. Blood trickled from her wounds; it drizzled from the corner of her lip and from under her hair. She looked at the Devil with narrowed eyes as she breathed heavily, watching as he slowly raised a fist to strike her. The fist was pulled all the way back, the blow would surely be the last thing she saw before losing consciousness. Was this the end of Emilia the Hero? For what seemed like eternity, the fist hung suspended, and Emi didn't think much of it until minutes seemed to have ticked by with no change in their positions. Emi's breath came in shuddering gasps as her lungs cringed from countless bruises to her abdomen. The fist hanging above her menacingly began to shake, and Emi looked into the face of the Devil to see a great struggle.

Maou couldn't sit by and do nothing. He simply couldn't, he shook the bars of his cage violently and he called out for Emi, abandoning all pretense of disdain for her, he shouted her name as he watched her being choked by his own hand.

"EMIII!"

"DIE, HERO!"

"NO!"

Maou had always considered himself above his base demon instincts. He wanted nothing to do with them, and he left them behind with no consequence, until now. It was for the good of demonkind that he cast aside his basic desires of the flesh, right? But now Emi was in danger, and Maou wasn't about to let himself hurt her. Maou reached through the bars of his prison, and with a tug he spun about his alter ego; his red, glowing eyes matching his malign twin's pitch black ones.

"What are you-"

"You are my darkness," Maou said grimly, "that means that you're me. I've denied you for far too long, and I'm sorry about that, but it's time to stop."

The evil Maou made to push away, but he was enveloped in Maou's embrace, seemingly powerless before him.

"I won't be locked away, again!"

But even as Maou tried to make him and his counterpart one and the same, his twin pulled away and fought against him, suddenly becoming erratic and hysterical.

"Don't put me back in the darkness," he shouted, pummeling Maou, "I won't go back, I'd rather die!"

"This isn't me putting you in a cage," Maou said as he fought the urge to let go of himself, "this is me accepting you for what you are, no, for what WE are!"

Maou felt something change, and when he looked down, he saw his alter ego bound to him by chains of shadowy black and crimson power. Almost as if he were on a leash, the black eyed Devil was slowly but surely pulled towards the caged Maou.

"We are not the same," he retorted, swiping at the hazy cords connecting him to the imprisoned Devil, "you locked me away, I became my own person! I don't need you!"

"You do too, just as I need you," Maou said, feeling the cords pull him closer with that very statement, "we are one and the same, I get that now! And if you don't submit to that reality, nothing will ever change, we'll be locked in here like this forever! Is that what you want, an eternal stalemate? You may not want to go that far, but my friends' lives are at stake and I have no problem playing the martyr, even if I get stuck with you forever."

"You would give up on everything, turn your back upon your demon subordinates, just to make sure I can never take control," the black eyed Satan asked.

"I would," Maou said firmly.

"Liar," Satan said coldly, letting loose a wheezing giggle.

"No, I mean every word. I'm taking a leaf out of your book, I'll take you down, or I'll go down with you, your choice!"

"ARGH!"

With Maou's proclamation, the chains binding the Devils together tightened and their bodies collided, yet they did not meet at all. They struck, and then dissolved, becoming a fusion of the two beings. A moment of hurried reassembly passed and Maou was revealed within a roaring inferno of dark energy. He had horns, hooves, and muscles galore, but his eyes were their usual red.

"Now, you gotta make sure you can keep your anger under control," Maou was saying to himself, "but if you find that we're in danger, feel free to give our enemy hell!"

"Even if it's the Hero," a sly voice asked within his head.

"If she's actually killing us, sure, yeah. If she's just slashing around and trying to intimidate us, let me do the talking, you'd escalate things further than they needed."

Now that Maou had regained control of his mental affairs, he once more took control of his physical form.

"Alright, let's see what this baby can do!"

His cocky attitude didn't last long, for as soon as he was once more enveloped in his own skin, he found himself with his fist ready to pulverize the Hero. She glared at him angrily, but something must have changed, because her angry look slowly faded, and it was replaced with a concerned stare. Her eyes were slowly drained of their darkness, leaving Emi's eyes green and warm, like a prairie in the summer.

"Maou, are you back," Emi asked quietly, as if afraid of the answer.

"Yeah," Maou whispered back, his human form reappearing as he stopped the flow of magical energy from within. He reached out towards Emi, unclenching his fist and placing a firm but gentle grip upon her chin. He turned her head and swore to himself.

"Geez, looks like you overdid it," Maou said.

His hand was slapped away and Emi shot him a death glare, though her face was suddenly hot and very red for some reason.

"You overdid it," she said with a huff, crossing her arms and looking away, letting her anger chase away her embarrassment.

Maou said nothing, but Emi's words stung him more that any physical trauma he'd suffered that night. He cleared his throat and stood, looking around.

"Sorry," Maou said lamely, turning away from the Hero, "where's Bernael?"

"There," she said, pointing over to where the fallen angel lay upon the floor.

Maou approached, and to his surprise, he found the angel to be severely beaten. Emi's injuries were nothing compared to Bernael's, it was almost the personification of the saying 'you should see the other guy.'

"You sure did a number on him, Emi."

"M'lord!"

It was Ashiya, recovered from his magic induced sleep, which had faded as soon as Maou had become one with himself.

"I apologize profusely my lord," Ashiya said, kneeling deftly at Maou's feet, "if I had not been so focused upon our goals, your demonic side would not be so attention starved. If it please you, I would even go out in search of a virgin sacrifice for your excellency!"

"A virgin whatnow!?"

"He was kidding Emi! Kidding! See, hahaha," Maou said loudly before turning and giving Ashiya a warning look, "right Ashiya?"

"Um, yes, hahaha ha…ha."

"You better be," Emi said angrily, standing up and glaring at the demons before her.

"Yeah, I wouldn't bother to try and find any virgins here, right _Emi,_ " Lucifer asked pointedly, emerging from the rubble of the museum with Suzuno's arm over his shoulders and his arm around her waist. Perhaps it was all the talk of virgins, but Suzuno's face was quite red and she looked at everything except the man holding her hips as they staggered towards the group.

Emi, on the other hand, summoned the Holy Evolving Sword, Better Half, and waved it violently, before pointing it at Lucifer.

"Are you trying to say something, Lucifer," Emi growled.

All of them were tired, bruised, beaten, sore and ready for a bath and a good night's sleep, yet Emi suddenly looked hardwired and ready to whoop some angelic ass.

"Well, I'm just saying that you're probably a bit busy keeping tabs on a certain demonic household to really go out and find yourself a guy. And out of everyone here, I think you'd make the best virgin sacrifice."

"Why you-"

Emi swung her sword and it arced over Lucifer's head as he ducked, dragging Suzuno with him. She glanced to her right as they dodged the blade, and she found her face within close proximity to his. There was a roguish smile upon his face, yet he looked so calm and confident in the face of Emi's attack that Suzuno couldn't help but feel her heart skip a few beats. All of that happened in a matter of seconds, and when they stood back up once more, Suzuno leaned on Urushihara more heavily than before as her heart strained to keep the blood rushing to her head.

"You alright, there," Urushihara asked, looking at Suzuno with a rare sign of genuine concern.

"Ye-yes, I'm fine, just a little light headed," Suzuno replied, waving a hand back and forth quickly.

"Everyone is alright then?"

It was Raphael who spoke as he emerged from the dusty clouds of rubble that obscured the features of the shambles around them. He looked relatively unharmed, as his residual power must have been healing him.

"Everyone seems to be," Maou said, looking at the angel with unease. Raphael may not have been overly powerful, but everyone was so drained they'd probably fall over from a prod to the back of their heads.

"Well then, where is Bernael? Is he dead."

"Nope," said a weak voice, "just hurt a lot… still alive though!"

"What a shame," Emi said, "I wailed on him like nobody's business. You angels sure are tough to kill."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Urushihara said.

Raphael left in the direction of the voice, and he came back minutes later carrying the angel under one arm like a sack of potatoes.

"You sure that's Bernael," Lucifer asked casually, smirking at the damage done to Bernael's previously handsome face. It had been beaten severely, and was barely recognizable. Blood was splattered about his face and he looked like he was missing some teeth. His fancy suit was in tatters, his dark hair was a rat's nest and he looked like a bum.

"Hi guys," Bernael said.

Everyone simply glared at the angel, who now looked small and demoralized, rather than his pompous, regal self from before. With a thud, Raphael dumped him upon the floor.

"Ouch, I'll just… wait down here then."

"What should we do with him," Maou asked.

"I say we destroy him," Ashiya said grimly, "he is the worst kind of being, sire. I believe he is an evil mastermind of sorts…"

"What," Maou asked blankly.

Sure, Bernael was an asshole, but an evil mastermind? That didn't seem to add up, and everyone gave Alciel a strange look, but he simply huffed and crossed his arms.

"Sire, he takes advantage of any weaknesses and exploits them. He locked me in a suit of armor, and he knew about my claustrophobia," Ashiya said loudly, pointing at Bernael as if pointing out a witch to simple village folk.

"Your claustrophobia," Maou hollered, "are you kidding me? I've told you that's all in your head! You make it sound like he killed your family!"

"Sire, I must disagree with you-"

"I think Ashiya has a point," Emi said, crossing her arms and glaring at the fallen angel, who did not meet the Hero's eye, "he deserves to die."

"But-"

"That choice is not yours to make, Emilia," Raphael said shortly.

"See Emi," Maou said, "be reasonable."

"I am. Bernael is responsible for hundreds of years in intentionally caused sorrow, anger and hatred. He's been feeding off of it for centuries. If that's not a good enough reason to warrant the death penalty from Heaven, I'll do the deed myself," Emi said hotly, drawing her sword.

"You'll do no such thing," Raphael said again, "he is not your concern. He is a fugitive from heaven and he will be judged by those in power."

With a snap of Raphael's thick fingers, Bernael vanished in a swirl of white mist that glowed with holy light. The Devil, the Hero, a Clergywoman, two Demon Generals, and an Archangel all stood in the ruins of the Edo Tokyo Museum, and stared at each other, their eyes flickering between one another nervously. After a moment, Raphael held out a hand. Not to the Hero, who was half-angel herself, nor to the clergywoman, who'd devoted her life to the Church, but to the Devil.

"It was… quite the experience working with you, Satan. Rest assured, I bear you no ill will. And I'll consider your involvement in this minimal; as such it will be omitted from my reports."

Maou grasped the angel's hand firmly, making eye contact and trying to smile through the pain that coursed through his body from the battle.

"Likewise. It was an honor to meet another Archangel… you have to be the nicest one I've ever met. Who will be judging Bernael?"

"Probably Ignora," Raphael said, his smile flickering for a moment, "anyway, thanks for all the help! I'll see you all again, I'm sure. I'll be coming back to finish my investigations with the Tokyo Police Department, and after that, I'll likely take a cushy job as a patrolman, so no speeding you guys!"

"Hey," Urushihara said, "thanks, I owe you one."

He held out a fist to Raphael, who was glowing in preparation for his teleportation. Raphael looked quizzically at the fist, before hesitantly sticking out his own. Urushihara smirked and gently punched his knuckles into Raphael's. With a flash of light, the Archangel was gone, leaving everyone else to deal with the mess that was the museum.

It was fortunate that night was still upon them, as Ashiya and Urushihara soared across the skies back to the Fony Inc. building in search of a source of magical power to help them with reparations.

"That was fun," Suzuno said quietly as she took a seat upon the steps outside the museum with Emi and Maou. The morning breeze was cool and crisp, and no hint of the sun had crept over the horizon as they awaited the return of the Demon Generals.

"How was that fun," Emi asked, raising an eyebrow at the short, blue haired clergywoman.

"Well, compared to our other encounters with angels, that one went quite well," Suzuno said, "though it is sad to think an angel died this night."

An intense silence followed that statement as they all pondered the death of the fallen angel Beliel, whom had died just before turning over to their side.

"She's in a better place now," Maou said quietly, looking up at the stars.

"That's so corny," Emi said, "how do you know she's in a better place?"

"You heard Raphael, Beliel is in paradise!"

"You sure are gullible, good Sadao," Suzuno remarked.

"It's not gullibility, it's a simple matter of justifying her death," Maou explained, "I hope she is in a better place, I hope she's flying around with big, feathery white wings and I hope she's free of all the pain and sadness she carried throughout her life. Is it so wrong of me to want something nice to happen to someone who was constantly beaten down?"

"No," Emi said finally.

"No, there is nothing wrong with that at all," Suzuno said quietly, following Maou's gaze to the stars above them.

Urushihara and Ashiya arrived at the building of Fony Inc., heading right back to Bernael's office in search of a power source. They landed and their wings withdrew as they sealed their powers away for the moment. Urushihara surveyed the ruins of the shattered gargoyles and whistled.

"Damn, did you do this?"

"That was Bell," Ashiya said dismissively, "I would never create such a mess, I'd have obliterated the gargoyles with magic and left nothing to clean up. That's how I function, you know."

Ashiya had a point, he was not just economically efficient, he was efficient in everything he did. During his invasion, of Ente Isla, rumors spread of a 'Scourge' that had swept away all before him. That was Ashiya, destroying entire cities and leaving not even a speck of dust. The Demon General Alciel struck fear into the hearts of many with his cruel and deadly time management skills; he was certainly not an opponent to be trifled with, but all Urushihara heard was a back handed insult to Crestia Bell.

"She may be a bit messy, but I don't mind a mess," Lucifer said, "and if it weren't for Bell, you'd still be locked in that suit of armor."

Urushihara jerked a thumb over his shoulder at a stand that only had a pair of metal greaves mounted upon it. Ashiya gulped and conceded the point before leaving the main office and going through a carefully disguised doorway.

"This looks promising," Urushihara said.

"This looks troubling," Ashiya said quietly.

In this room, which was decorated as one might have been two hundred years ago in Edo, there stood countless historical artifacts. Swords, spears, gemstones, gold pieces, and just about anything else you could possibly dream of finding in a dragon's hoard.

"Looks like we beat the final boss and got the loot, seeing as I did the majority of the work, I get the XP."

"What," Ashiya asked blankly.

"Nothing," Lucifer sighed, "but what do you think, if we took all this gold, could we move out of the Villa Rosa and-"

"Do not even think of touching that gold!"

Urushihara was stunned and suddenly dropped the tile-like piece of stamped imperial gold that he was about to pocket. Ashiya sighed and turned to look at Urushihara, who was still bent over the pile of riches.

"Lucifer, do you ever stop to think?"

"Not when there's a fortune involved."

"That gold could've been cursed! Think before you touch! And besides, we can't take any of it."

"But-"

"Where will you say you got it, hmm? How would you explain your mysteriously acquired fortune of Edo period gold, you imbecile!? Leave it and help me find a source of power with which we can fix the museum, daylight is almost upon us," Ashiya said hurriedly.

"Got that covered,"

Urushihara said quickly, picking up a huge gemstone and cradling it in his arms. It was roughly the size of a human head, but it was remarkably heavy and it almost tingled with power. When Lucifer picked it up, it sent out a sharp static discharge that shocked him, but he said nothing of it.

"Yes, this looks similar to the one that powered the gargoyles," Ashiya said, gazing into the crystal's ruby depths.

"Then let's head back."

Urushihara made for the door for a moment before Ashiya reached out and grabbed him by the shoulder, turning the fallen angel around to face him.

"Put it back," Ashiya said angrily, "you get no souvenirs."

"Fine…"

Lucifer pulled a piece of gold from his pocket and tossed it back onto the pile before turning to leave once more.

"And the other pocket?"

The fallen angel sighed disgustedly and pulled out a golden medallion with an egg sized emerald set into it. He tossed it back onto the pile of treasure, held the power gem over his head in surrender and walked out of the room, followed quickly by Ashiya, who had half a mind to shake Lucifer by the ankles until all of the treasure he'd taken fell from his pockets. The Demon King and his Generals, whom the Hero adamantly blamed for the destruction of the museum, even though it was Bernael's fault, repaired it with the power within the gem taken from the fallen angel's office. Pillars reassembled themselves before lodging into their positions holding up the ceiling, the holes in the walls and roof were mended and the priceless artifacts were restored with magic. After that had been done, they worked to scour the area, searching for people who may have noticed anything unusual. They erased memories, fixed outlying buildings damaged in the fight, and made it so that by the time the sun hit the roof of the museum, there were no traces of a conflict. Suzuno took the gemstone and then left for Fony Inc. to clean up her mess while everyone else made their way back to Maou's house. The train ride was spent staring blearily into oblivion, and occasionally throwing hard, tired looks at people who openly gawked at the group of young men and women who were dressed like vagrants, and in some cases seemed to be covered in blood. They had healed their wounds with the gemstone as well, but the power of emotional distress couldn't wash away the blood that had dried to their skin.

After leaving the Sasazuka station, they walked for a bit until they reached Castle Overlord, which was now beautifully enveloped in the light of the rising sun. And there, sitting upon the steps and looking tired, sore and downtrodden, was Chiho. When she heard voices, she could scarcely believe it was her friends, but when she heard them speak as they got closer, it became clear that it was them. She climbed the steps and from her vantage point, she could make out Maou, Emi, Ashiya, and Lucifer... but no Suzuno. For a moment, tears welled up in her eyes, but then a voice from behind her made her jump with fright.

"Whatever is the matter, good Chiho?"

"Suzuno!"

Chiho embraced the young looking woman, who blushed for a moment before returning the hug. Suzuno had flown down from the sky and landed behind Chiho just as she'd noticed her absence.

"I thought you were hurt for a second!"

"No, just had to take care of a few loose ends," she said airily, though she looked like she was on the verge of falling down from exhaustion right then and there.

"Come, let us go inside and make tea, we have much to discuss and the others will need something to keep them on their feet."

 **Hello Heroes, Devils, and Clergyfolk. Hello shippers and hello fanfiction, it's been a little while, sorry for the wait! Now, I have a few things to discuss with you all. First off, I will address the reviews of the story. A huge thank you to Dreamingflower for her continued support and interest in the story. Also, thanks to her I managed to get my hands on volume three of the Devil is a Part Timer light novel, so yay me! She also points out several flaws in my writing, plot holes and the like... I have no excuse for them other than I needed a villain and I had to make someone evil in order to fulfill a scene I had in my head. Another review stated that Bernael is overpowered... fuck yeah, he is! I think Bernael and Beliel, while temporary and unimportant antagonists, were actually a lot of fun to write for me. Bernael's powers were also going to be much stronger that I actually implied, as I was going to make him draw upon the infinite darkness of the universe, in which we are simply specs of light in a yawning void. Think about that before you say he's overpowered! Again, thank you all for your reviews! They let me know that other people share my passion for fanfiction! I have an easter egg in this chapter, too, did anyone find it? It was a vague reference to the DIAPT! abridged series on youtube, created by Grimmjack69! In this series, it is implied that Ashiya and Maou are scoping out Chiho for a virgin sacrifice, it's hilarious and I highly recommend watching it. Also, this is not the end of the story guys... not quite yet. This is simply the end of the 'Bernael Arc'!**

 **Now, onto the music, which I enjoy sharing with you guys while you read!**

 **In general, there are a few songs that seemed to fit Emi in her 'evil' state... they are as follows**

 **www. youtube watch?v=U8D2lM618zs**

 **www. youtube watch?v=Ej8or-DfrIY**

 **And for Maou's darkness...**

 **www. youtube watch?v=pKUKlkB8zYo**

 **And finally, a little tribute to the people of the story, for suffering through my abuse...**

 **www. youtube watch?v=p53pDNodxHE**

 **And the episode of the abridged series with the virgin sacrifice reference... watch the entire series!**

 **www. youtube watch?v=RDtaVdXMAiU**


	15. The Devil and the Hero: Healing

Four long days had passed since everyone had returned from the museum, but for Emi, they were some of the most trying days in recent memory. She had gotten little to no sleep for the past three nights, causing her daytime job to seem all the more testing. Four long, dismal work days and three hellish, sleepless nights had left Emi on edge, jittery, and in a constant state of emotional frailty. But why did the Hero, whose phenomenal celestial powers rivaled that of the angels of the Bible, have trouble sleeping? The answer to that was rather simple: nightmares. Horribly vivid and terrifying, Emi had seen visions of the museum battle every time she'd fallen asleep. The nightmares were filled with watery black eyes everywhere, on all of her friends as they engulfed her. Friend or foe, all had glassy black eyes and wicked grins as they crept at the Hero, who found herself unable to move, unable to think and unable defend herself. Now that the effects of sleep deprivation had set in, Emi found that life was beginning to get difficult. She dozed off easily at work, though she hadn't fallen asleep there yet, which was good because whenever she woke, it was with a scream.

Her condo, which was usually spotless, homey and livable, had become a prison where Emi went to fight off sleep for as long as she could, but in the end she always fell victim to her exhaustion. Her only solace was that the walls were well made and thick, so no one was alarmed by her cries when she awoke in cold sweat. And even as Emi neared the end of her work week with every tick of the clock, she knew that she would go home and suffer again that night.

"Hey Emi?"

Emi jumped, hearing Rika gently say her name from the stall next to hers. She took her headset off for a moment and looked over to speak with her friend, Rika, the closest human Emi had come into contact with that didn't know of her existence.

"Yeah, what's up, Rika?"

"I was just wondering what was going on. You've been so tense all week, and now you just look… scared," Rika said with a shrug and a concerned look.

"I-uh-I haven't been sleeping well," Emi admitted.

It was a common occurrence between Emi and Rika nowadays, Rika would inquire as to Emi's personal life and Emi would tell her friend half-truths. For instance, she was being entirely truthful in saying she hadn't slept well, but she didn't reveal that she was breaking down from the strain of her nightly terrors.

Their physical wounds had somehow miraculously healed in less than a day, which was likely a blessing from Raphael. The rest of the weekend had been spent reveling in victory and remembering those lost, but by Monday morning everyone was back into their habits. Emi hadn't asked anyone about her nightmares, but she certainly knew who she wanted to talk to about them.

"Maou," Emi whispered to herself.

"What," Rika asked.

She was looking at Emi quizzically, having been talking and counting things off on her fingers. It seemed Emi had zoned out again.

"Oh, uh, sorry, what were you saying, Rika?"

"I was telling you my top five home remedies for sleeping better."

"Well, I don't need to sleep better I just… I just wish I didn't need to sleep," Emi finished sadly as Rika got a call and quickly threw her headset back on.

Emi's work day ended shortly after that, and even though it was a relief to get off the job, the long night in front of her loomed ahead like a monster in her path. Even so, she gave a small smile as she walked out of the company's stifling cubicles and emerged into the setting sun and the cool evening breeze. She stretched and took in the soothing feeling of freedom before fixing a small smile onto her face and walking home. Her condo would be almost as oppressive as work, so instead of heading straight there, she decided to take a longer route, giving her a chance to work her legs after a long day in an office chair. It also gave her some time to think, or perhaps it was time to simply not think, to just walk as long as she could without having to think of work, or demons or angels. As the sun set and left Emi wandering the dark streets of Tokyo, the people that clogged the streets of the city thinned and finally disappeared. Emi glanced at her phone and realized she'd been walking for almost four hours before she finally decided to start heading home.

'This is ridiculous,' Emi thought as she went, 'I'm just a little nervous and traumatized from what happened at the museum, I can't let it stop me from getting rest!'

Though the events of the museum were wrapped up without any lasting physical damage to Emi and the others, the thought of Bernael and Beliel made Emi feel uneasy. Not that they would appear in Japan again, not that, but for some reason, the way their powers were so grotesquely overwhelming, and the way they were able to manipulate others had left Emi scared. She was the Hero, but she was also human, and the words Bernael and Beliel had spoken about the true nature of humans and the world around them had been hammering away at Emi whenever silence fell around her. The door to her condominium clicked shut behind her as she faced the dark hallways leading into her home. Far from comforting, she could swear that it looked just like a scene from one of her horrible night terrors. The only thing missing were her closest friends, all steadily walking towards her with gleaming obsidian eyes and horrific grins. Emi closed her eyes, feeling rather childish as she felt for the light switch along the wall.

"I'm the Hero," Emi said.

But far from making her feel empowered, the statement seemed to waver and fade against the all-encompassing darkness as she ran her slim fingers along the wall. In her mind's eye she could still see gleaming eyes looming from out of the darkness… or perhaps that was simply the spots dancing behind her closed eyelids. She opened them and involuntarily flinched. Nothing was there, nothing was with her in the darkness, she was alone.

"There it is."

With a flip of the switch, Emi flicked on the lights of the hallway.

'One switch down, about four to go,' Emi thought sadly.

In the moment she was immeasurably sad, however, Emi found that the darkness that had plagued her didn't seem to bother her as much.

"I'm a useless Hero, anyway," she said, feeding the emotion, "if there was a monster in this darkness, I wish it would hurry up and give me a lobotomy so I didn't have to feel like such a failure."

It worked. Slouching through her condo, Emi kept her sadness at the forefront of her being, flipping on the light switches without fear or hesitation, not flinching once.

"And what do you know, I'm all alone in my apartment… nothing new there."

Emi, who was already up later than she should've been, went to her room, stripped and kicked her clothes into a corner before slipping into a t-shirt too large for her, and dropping herself onto her couch. She sunk into the cushions with exhaustion unbefitting a young woman in her prime and wearily cast her gaze at the remote control for the television.

"But it's so far away…"

Letting her sore, tired muscles go rubbery, she flung herself forward, grabbed the remote and hit the power button. After a few moments the television burst to life, but the channel it was on was so bright and voluminous that Emi could barely understand a word she read on it. Instead, she found her mind strangely blank as she stared into the images that flashed dizzyingly at her retinas. After a moment of open mouthed gaping, she realized that none of it really registered and she redoubled her efforts to understand the program.

'Seems to be a historical documentary,' Emi thought.

But even though she'd given the program enough brainpower to accurately assess it, she quickly became entranced in nothing once again, staring blankly at the television. Her vision dimmed, her brain shut down, and Emilia the Hero drifted off into a slumber born of intense exhaustion and stress.

"Hello, Emi."

"Maou?"

Emi was standing in a dark place. She didn't know where it was, but as she looked around the details came into view and she soon found herself in a place she hadn't seen in some time: the Devil's Castle. Not the one at Villa Rosa Sasazuka, it was the one in Ente Isla, on the Isla Kentorum. She was in the main hall, which was shrouded in darkness just as she remembered it, but it was different now. There was no sound of battle in the distance, just horrible oppressing darkness, and even though she'd heard a familiar voice, she couldn't find the person who'd spoken.

"Emi, what have you done?"

A light shone from behind Emi, widening to reveal a strange red glow. It was the balcony that led off the main hall, where the Demon King could go and survey the lands under his control. The large doors were made of glass, and a thick velvet curtain was pulled away to reveal the light that had caught her attention. Ignoring the voice, Emi felt her body move without her consent. Step by step she walked towards the doors, watching as they opened on their own to allow her access to the outside.

"Dead," Emi said, her eyes widening as she surveyed the chaos before her, "it's all dead."

The eerie red glow had come from the sky, which was now bloodred and filled with clouds that obscured the sun. Lightning struck the earth, wherever it jutted up from massive tracts of roiling ocean that seemed to have inexplicably risen, washing away all life. Even as she stared into the distance, she could somehow see all the major landmarks and cities of the entire world, though she knew that was impossible. The capital cities were torn apart, abandoned and crumbling. Emi's eyes flashed as she realized that no signs of life met her gaze. She could survey the world from the Demon Fortress, but nothing moved, and nothing made a sound. No birds were in the sky, no humans or animals roamed the Earth, nothing.

"This is all your fault," the voice said, coming from right behind Emi.

Emi turned to find a shadow towering over her, two red eyes gleaming out of a billowing black haze of power.

"Maou."

"Emi, you've killed them all. You've killed us."

"No," Emi stammered, unable to say much more as she now noticed that the balcony at her feet was littered with bodies.

Rika. Suzuno. Chiho. Nord. Urushihara. Ashiya. Emeralda. Alberto.

Everyone, both from Ente Isla and Japan, all of them were dead and lifeless, their pale bodies ravaged by unseen usurpers and cast upon the stones like puppets with cut strings. Their eyes were open and their faces bespoke an unknowable horror, as if they had died in the most terrifying way imaginable.

"Maou, why are they all dead?"

"Because you killed us," the voice said.

But the shadow had gone, and red eyes no longer loomed over Emi. The voice, now cracked and weak, was coming from-

"Maou," Emi said almost pleadingly, knowing what was about to happen.

The corpse of the Demon King's human form, which she hadn't seen before that point, was talking. She stared with horror as the figure pushed itself up from the ground. His clothes were ripped, covered in blood and he looked void of life, but his eyes were now glassy and black. Slowly but surely, Emi felt fear course through her as his face slowly became suffused with the grin that had traumatized her so much in her daily life this past week.

"Emi, this is all your fault," Maou croaked, slowly staggering closer, "you killed us, you destroyed Ente Isla… you must die."

Emi backed away from Maou, towards the edge of the balcony. She leaned back against the carved stone railing, watching as the Demon King's corpse shuffled forward, his undead fellows raising their heads so as to grin and display their gleaming abyssal eyes. Chuckles escaped them as Maou placed his hands upon Emi's shoulders. Icy dread shot from the contact and with a smile that looked like it might tear Sadao Maou's mouth, the corpse gently leaned forward, lightly pressing its cold lips Emi's own before-

CRACK!

The railing broke, Emi tumbled over the edge, and she fell. But as the fear of death gripped her, Maou's eyes seemed to pierce her heart as he watched her descend, like a dark arrow spreading its poison through her being.

"Goodbye Hero," Maou hissed, "may you drown in the blood of those whose lives you've destroyed!"

Emi turned as she fell, and to her untrained, irrational eye, it seemed as though the ocean was most certainly made of blood, and that it was preparing to swallow her whole.

"AAAAAARGH!"

Emi woke with a scream, a cry of terror that no one else could hear. Her heart was aflutter and every shadow seemed to flicker and move in her peripheral vision, as if the room were filled with creatures from another world. Try though she might, Emi couldn't use her sadness as a shield, all she felt was an overwhelming sense of panic as she watched Maou's face flicker in her mind's eye, a wicked smile playing across his face as Emi plunged to her death.

"I can't take this," Emi said quietly, wrapping her arms around her knees and shoving her tearful eyes into her kneecaps. Time passed, the impenetrable darkness of night gave way to the imperfect twilight of the morning, and finally, Emi gathered the courage to make the call she'd wanted to make since she'd first begun having these night terrors. She didn't care how early it was, she didn't care for the person's schedule, all she knew was that she needed him there at that very moment. She picked up her phone, which was charging at her bedside, and after a few brutal seconds of looking at the glaringly bright screen, she put the phone to her ear to listen as it rung.

"Emi," a tired voice said through the line, picking up after only three rings, "what's up?"

"Maou, come to my apartment, now, it's an emergency," Emi said, her voice weak as she asked the Demon King for aid.

"What's wrong, are you hurt? I'll be there soon, just hold on!"

"Thanks Maou. I really need your help," Emi said before hanging up and setting the phone off to the side.

After Emi hung up, however, she noticed something odd. Usually, the Demon King would've complained about train fees, or how tired he was… something. Was it possible he was getting less selfish? What was wrong with the Demon King that had once crushed Ente Isla under foot? Emi then thought about the Maou from her dreams, the way his dark eyes seemed to burrow into her soul and she thought about calling Maou back and telling him to stay away and never come near her again.

'Control yourself,' Emi thought, 'focus and figure out what you're gonna do when he gets here.'

For a laughable moment, Emi thought about dressing up, powdering her face and making it so that nothing seemed wrong, but the more she thought about Maou's strange behavior and the Maou from her dreams, the more she remained convinced she didn't want to see him. What if he was still under Bernael's control?

Emi, whose brain was suddenly running at a million miles an hour, ran to the front door, made sure it was locked, and grabbed a knife from the kitchen. She then leaned against the door and glanced through the peephole every few minutes. The hallway was quiet and barren of life, and so Emi waited, until something faint reached her ears.

It was a light step, a careful placing of the foot so as to make the least amount of noise. Usually, she'd have thought it to be a neighbor sneaking off to go to work, but they would've been heading away from Emi's door, not towards it. A quick glance through the peephole confirmed that Maou was pressed against the wall, carefully making his way towards Emi's door.

About an hour earlier….

"Ashiya, I'm leaving," Maou whispered as his subordinate slept peacefully.

A groan was his only response and so Maou crept from his flat in the upper apartments at the Villa Rosa Sasazuka, and without delay he sprinted to the train station, paid the fees, and was riding as quickly as he could towards Eifuku, where Emi's condo was located. As he stood aboard the train, panting slightly, he thought about his own actions, and how foolish it would seem for him to rush over to Emi's this early in the morning. But for all his doubts, there was something in Emi's voice that made the hairs on the back of Maou's neck stand at attention. Of course, Emi's voice always had some sort of effect on him, that was the price of his infatuation with the Hero, but now…

'What is going on,' Maou thought to himself.

His week leading up to this moment had been a strange one indeed. Strange dreams kept him on edge, and he seemed to zone out continually at work, much to the dismay of his co-worker, Chiho.

"Mister Maou, did you get enough sleep last night," Chiho asked, sparing her demonic coworker a side-glance.

He looked tired and his eyes were glazed over, as if he was looking at something far away, which he was. Behind the crimson eyes of the Demon King, he watched, like a man possessed, as his dreams were filled with long red hair, bright green eyes and luscious lips that Maou wanted pressed against his own. Every morning that week, Maou had woken up, feeling incredibly tired, and indeed, he had taken to sleeping in so that he could dream as much as possible, as he found it was his only escape from a reality in which he and the Hero were doomed to be forever separated.

"Mister Maou, you've been distant all week, are you ok? What happened at the museum," Chiho asked in an undertone.

"We told you, we're all fine. I'm just tired is all," Maou said, barely able to contain himself as his shift was about to end.

For Maou, sleep was now addictive, like a drug. It was the only place that he and Emi could be happy, and during the week leading up to his train ride over to her condo, she had plagued his mind like no one else could. Bernael's darkness was a faded memory, his time spent working at MgRonalds day in and day out was just a dream, a long, unpleasant daydream. No, his true life began when he closed his eyes at night and saw the Hero, beautiful and resplendent as ever.

'But now Emi wants me over there, and it sounds serious… I should be prepared for anything,' Maou thought as he went.

But when he said anything, his mind strangely turned away from fighting, and instead he saw himself and Emi, wrapped in each other's arms as they lay together upon the couch, watching television with blissful togetherness.

"That's not gonna happen, I have to be ready for action…"

Maou's face turned red for a moment, and before his mind could even twist his phrase, he simply slouched where he stood, exhaling as the train came to a long stop at the station. With all due haste, Maou sprinted as fast as he could for a tall, whitewashed building that he had visited once before. The home of the Hero was somewhere in that tower, and after Maou remembered the path he quickly found his way to the door in question. From a distance it looked closed, so if there was an enemy, they were being smart about not drawing undue attention by shutting the door behind them. Maou leaned against the wall, carefully and slowly stepping closer to the door at the end of the hall. He looked around, making sure no one was around before he continued his ambush.

'The Devil coming to the aid of the Hero,' Maou thought as he approached the door, 'this ought to be good.'

He had reached the door. With a light touch he reached over and slowly tried to turn the knob, but he found it locked. He peered into the peephole, but he could see nothing.

'Curse this human technology, how is someone supposed to see inside with arousing suspicion! Oh, yeah, they're not,' Maou thought, cursing his tired brain.

He reached over, intending to knock upon Emi's door, when he heard a voice.

"Maou."

It was Emi. She sounded… well, Maou didn't know exactly how she sounded, but something was clearly wrong. The door did not open, no locks were undone, Emi simply leaned against the door, wondering how she could be sure it was really him. Was there a way for her to ascertain that it truly was Maou? Maybe she could ask a question… like what they had done to save Raphael and Urushihara from Bernael… but that was no good, the Angel of Darkness had known about that. What was something Emi and Maou shared, something only they knew.

"Emi, are you in there? Let me in, what's going on?"

"Maou, I need you to tell me something so that I can be sure it's you," Emi said in an undertone, just loud enough for Maou to hear through the door.

"Like what?"

"Tell me what we talked about outside the Villa Rosa Sasazuka. Me and you were leaning against the wall, talking, but what about?"

Maou, realizing Emi wasn't going to let him in until he remembered, leaned against the door as well, thinking. It had been hot out, and they had discussed the fate of Ente Isla.

"We spoke of home," Maou said simply, "and we spoke of creating harmony between our people. I believe we also talked about…"

Maou paused, looking around to make sure he was alone in the hallway before he continued.

"We talked about how you should be the one to execute me, should it come to that," Maou said, the idea that Emi would be the one to take his life being comforting somehow.

A moment of silence passed, but then several metallic clicks and scrapes followed to reveal Emi, standing there in nothing but a t-shirt, with puffy, bloodshot eyes and a look of intense sadness upon her face. Maou could only stand there in shock before she seized him by the collar and pulled him inside without a word. She led him to the bedroom, and there Maou stood until Emi pushed him onto the bed.

Maou, usually being of sound mind, couldn't believe how fast things were going. Had he done something incredibly right for once? But then Emi crawled onto the bed with him, sitting cross-legged from him and the Demon Lord knew what this was about. He was going to have to take her emotions, but the way it was so unceremonious made him feel rather hurt.

"What, you're not gonna buy me dinner first," Maou asked as Emi held out her hands.

A small smile played at Emi's lips before a hard look crossed her face.

"Sadao, I really need you now. I've been having nightmares and I can't live like this anymore. I need you to take my fear before it kills me," Emi said, unable to look Maou in the eye.

Maou was awestruck, but now the moments before their arrival in Emi's room made sense. The place was once flawless and immaculate, but now it was messy, unkempt and much like Emi, somewhat disheveled. Maou said nothing of this though, as he noticed that Emi had a knife resting next to her thigh.

"Emi, what's wrong? You said you're having nightmares? Are you sure, I mean, I thought you were under attack or something, not just having a bad dream," Maou said.

"It was NOT just a BAD DREAM! These nightmares are ruining my life! I haven't eaten in two days! I have a tough time staying awake at work! If you're not going to help me then get out and never come back," Emi shouted at Maou, looking at him with eyes that betrayed an unspoken lividness.

"I'll help, Emi, but you haven't given me anything to work with! You want me to just suck out your fear, is that right?"

"Yes!"

"Ok, then, give me your hands!"

"I've been holding them out for hours you stupid Demon Lord!"

"Maybe you shouldn't call people that are trying to help you 'stupid'! And besides, have you even thought about how strong this will make me? Think about it, Emilia, with the panicked state you're in, I could likely grow powerful enough to rise again as Demon Lord Satan," Maou said, standing up on Emi's bed, his hands upon his hips and his chin jutted upwards in a glorious pose.

"You IDIOT!"

Far from frightened, Emi looked mad, so mad that her fear may very well have shrunk a bit to make way for it. Maou smiled at Emi, and it enraged her further.

"What's so funny? I'm asking you for help," Emi said, blushing and closing her eyes and she fidgeted with her bed sheets.

"Emi, you're tired, you're scared, and I know that you're going through something right now, but I wonder if you really need me to suck out your emotions… or if you just need to work them out on your own."

"It's not your job to think, the bargain was that you would perform, now sit down and give me your hands so I can force my anxiety onto you!"

"Tempting, but no," Maou said, crossing his arms, refusing to sit.

"Why you-"

"Eeep!"

Emi with her low stature in comparison to Maou, pulled back her fist and struck him upon the thigh. He squeaked in agony before falling onto the bed, but to be more exact, he fell onto Emi. Emi froze for a moment, shuddering from the contact of Maou's face being pressed into her midriff, his own torso stuck between Emi's legs.

"Satan. Jacob. Get. Off. Me. Now."

"Argh, I can't," Maou groaned, completely unaware of where he was as his eyes were closed, "my leg, I think you broke it!"

"Demon KING!"

Maou flew across the room, slamming into the wall and knocking the picture frames off the wall. When he looked up, Emi was shielding her body from his, looking violated as Maou scratched his head.

"What's your problem," Maou asked lamely before a blank look crossed his face.

"I had a surprisingly soft landing, and judging from where I was standing, I'd have landed…"

Maou realized where he'd been, and to Emi's shock, a smile crossed his face.

"Hot damn, Emi, I like it rough, but not that rough," he jested.

"Idiot, if you're not going to help, just go," Emi said quietly, "I guess I'll just try and deal with this by myself."

"No," Maou said, suddenly looking serious, "I'm not leaving, but I'm not going to suck out your emotions, not yet. First, you need to calm down."

"I'M COMPLETELY CALM!"

"I can see that," Maou said, holding his hands up in surrender.

Silence fell between them, and with his powers Maou felt Emi's curiously strong emotions. He'd sucked out many years' worth of suffering last time, so why did she feel even more precarious now?

"In your nightmares," Maou asked quietly, "what happens, Emi? What do you see?"

"I see…"

Black, glassy eyes, evil smiles and the horrible, gurgling laughter of the dead. Maou, pressing his lips against her own before pushing her to her death.

"I see things from the museum," Emi said, turning and staring out the dark window of her bedroom.

"You mean me, don't you?"

Emi looked at Maou, who'd spoken, but he did not meet her gaze. He sat there, upon the floor, leaning against the wall he'd been thrown into.

"You?"

"It's not uncommon for people to be traumatized by my true form. My power can make a normal human weak and breathless, so when I'm under the control of a madman… or perhaps completely out of control, with no restraints… I imagine I'm not easy to forget. I'm sorry for that. But maybe if we… I don't know, if we could just talk for a while, or something, you could get past that. You don't seem very frightened of me now," Maou noted.

"I'm not scared of you," Emi said, casting Maou an angry glance, "I'm scared of…Bernael? No, that doesn't seem right. But I can't seem to sleep without having nightmares. Please, if you can suck out some of the fear, or whatever's causing the nightmares, I won't ask you for anything else."

"Well, like I said, let's talk and figure this out," Maou said simply, standing and coming over to the bed to sit beside Emi.

"Ok, then. Let's talk," she agreed, sounding skeptical

"Good, see? You're getting more calm already… ok, so tell me, you say you're frightened, you say it has something to do with the museum, tell me exactly what you see when you have these drea-er-night terrors."

And without lying, Emi carefully described the details of her terrors, but for all of them, she made sure to do two things. The first was to leave out anything between Maou and Emi, any kisses, any signs of intimacy, they were omitted. The second was to downplay Maou's importance, so instead of saying 'he had killed her', she would make it general, by saying 'they had killed her'.

"Blacks eyes in all your terrors, along with all of us, dead and lifeless, other than those things is there anything else your nightmares have in common?"

"No," Emi said, "nothing else."

"Well, I think I know what your problem is," Maou said, "you're suffering from post-traumatic stress, Emi. Think about it, you see all of us dead, you blame yourself, it's obviously because you feared for our lives during the fight. The black eyes and evil grins are likely your terrors trying to rationalize and identify an enemy for you, as both were Bernael's signature. And finally, there's something you've missed," Maou said, rather sagely.

"What?"

"In every one of your dreams, they end with you dying," Maou said, "in most cultures, that's considered an ill omen."

"And how do you know this?"

"This world's magic books are filled with omens and fortune telling. In my search for magic, I spared no expense in reading any book that may contain the truth, inclusive of dream fortune telling, where they analyze your dreams and draw conclusions from them," Maou said happily.

"They do that with psychology, too," Emi said, "but I'm not a nut."

"No, Emi, you're a human, and you're immensely tense from having fought a battle that had a lot riding on it," Maou said, thinking quickly, "and in most cases of post-traumatic stress, they recommend a good session of grounding, something to reconnect you and let you know your loved and cared for. I'm guessing a party won't do, either."

"So what am I supposed to? And are you insinuating that you love me," Emi asked.

Maou didn't move as the question was posed, and for a wild moment, he thought about revealing his true colors, and disregarding his disguise of an uninterested party. But no, he had too much riding on him for such childishness.

"Think back to something you used to enjoy, anything. And please don't insult me, I'm a Demon King, you're just a Hero with an inflated ego."

Emi almost pushed Maou off the bed, but her quip seemed to genuinely irk the Devil, so she saved it for a rainy day and thought about a time when she was truly happy, with her father. As if responding to her thoughts about rainy days, it began to rain outside, tapping against the window and sending a wave of calm over Emi.

"It's raining," Maou stated flatly.

"I love the rain," Emi said, smiling, "it makes me think of father. When it would rain like this and he couldn't work out in the fields, he would stay inside and I'd have him all to myself. We'd play games, read stories, and we'd dance. I used to stand on his feet and he'd just do all the dancing for us. He said it was a good leg workout."

"Emi," Maou said suddenly.

She turned to face Maou, who was staring at her as if he'd just seen the sun for the first time.

"Yeah, what?"

"How do you feel, right now?"

Emi thought about it, and to her shock she'd found her emotions to be… rather nondescript. Sure, she was stressed from being unable to sleep, but with the rain and the thoughts of her father, her anger, her panic, and her overwhelming sadness had faded.

"I feel better," Emi said, strangely.

"Keep thinking about that happy thought," Maou said with a victorious smile, getting up to leave, "I have to go, but I can stop by-"

"We're not done yet," Emi said, "you are going to perform, just as you said you would."

"Eh?"

And so, after a lengthy argument, a lot of whining from the Demon King and a little preparation, Emi and Maou were standing, facing each other with hard looks in their eyes.

"Are you ready, Hero," Maou asked, "I won't hold back."

"Bring it on," Emi said, tightening her grip upon Maou.

"Very well," he said, crimson flashing in his eyes, "prepare yourself, Hero, you are about to dance with the Devil."

The two of them were holding hands, standing upon the mattress so that Emi could stand upon Maou's feet without breaking his toes, and without further ado, they began to slowly dance.

"How is this supposed to help," Maou asked, not believing he'd been wrangled into this.

"It's called grounding, and seeing as you refused to suck out my emotions, you will just have to deal with it, Dr. Psychology," Emi said.

"This is starting to hurt," Maou said, his feet aching as they bore the weight of two humans.

"Well, if you'd stop talking and allow me to remember my childhood, this slow healing process might go a bit faster."

Maou shut up, allowing Emi to do whatever the hell she wanted while he simply grimaced and thought about how he was going to explain why both his feet were broken to whoever noticed his limping.

"Hm hmm, hm hm hmmm," Emi hummed happily as she went, her eyes closed and a light smile upon her face.

Maou, who saw the look of resplendent happiness upon her face, couldn't look away from the marvelous sight. It seemed as if her body was suffused with celestial light, making her shine like a star. She leaned back slightly, her neck rolling as her muscles became supple, and Maou simply held her hands for support as she did, playing his part in her dance. He was her crutch, and even if she danced forever, the Devil knew that he could never let her fall.

'This girl,' Maou thought as he watched her, her reflection bright in his eyes.

 **'And if you have nightmares, we'll dance on the bed**

 **I know that you love me, love me**

 **Even when I lose my head**

 **Guillotine'**

 **"Guillotine by Jon Bellion"**

 **An update for this story? Perish the thought! Hello Devils, how have you been? Long time, no see! Anyway, here we return to the roots of the story, which is supposed to be a MaouXEmi fanfic for those of you just tuning in. Thank you all for your patience! Now, I've been doing some thinking, and I remember that this story was supposed to take place between the first season of the anime and the third light novel. Speaking of the light novels, I've actually managed to read the English translations, yay me! Something else of note, I have no idea how to stop this train. That's right, folks, I started this fic and while I have a scene for how it ends, I have no idea how to pull it into the station! All well. For those who enjoy my little easter eggs, I threw in one from Avatar: The Last Airbender, one of my favorite shows. You'll find it in the scene where Maou tells Emi that she needs to calm down and she screams "I'M COMPLETELY CALM!"**

 **A lot of this chapter was inspired by the music I've been listening to on repeat for a while now, and seeing as you can't copy and paste links, I'll simply put the song titles and artists here for you to search in YouTube or wherever you look for music.**

 **Woke the F*ck Up- Jon Bellion: This song is pretty much when Emi wakes up and thinks of Maou.**

 **Guillotine-Jon Bellion: This was inspiration for the scene where Maou and Emi danced of the bed, in case that flew over your head.**

 **Wherever I Go-OneRepublic: Cause this song just strikes the right chords...**

 **Until next time, my friends! And if you like, I'm actually looking for people to proofread my stories for grammar, etc. Feel free to let me know if you are interested.**

 **EDIT: Ok guys, so a few hours ago, something amazing happened... this fanfic became the number one most viewed work ever. Now, I've been waiting for this to happen for a while now(over a year, I think), and I'm glad it happened on my watch. For those of you who read, you'll notice large gaps in my writing and updates. Not only does life tend to get in the way of things, but I also try to work so as to update the story I haven't worked on the longest amount of time. But to celebrate this momentous occasion (and all of you readers), I will do my damndest to get out another chapter in this story for you all this weekend before I move onto the next one on the list. Thanks for reading, I hope to have another piece of this fanfiction pie to serve to you soon!**


	16. The Devil and the Hero: Daydreams

And yet even as Maou watched, the kind, happy look in his eyes faded and his face was shrouded in darkness. A faint red glow came from his eyes as he suddenly realized how cruel life truly was.

'No matter what happens,' Maou thought, 'no matter how this ends, I'll never have her.'

Maou had endured over three centuries of the most intense and grueling physical training, on top of countless headaches from trying to grasp at some semblance of order in a world of chaos. He'd seen and been a part of atrocities performed and he'd simply swallowed past the guilt. So why was he so angry and frustrated now?

To put it simply, _her_ , Emilia the Hero.

She was the reason for Maou's intense agony. Maou had done and seen things that would destroy lesser beings and yet here he was, angry because he couldn't have the woman he wanted. It was like dangling a mouse in front of a python. It was tantalizing, and Maou wanted Emi more than food or air or life. But no, destiny had other plans. They were to remain upon opposite sides of the board in the grand scheme, where Maou could only watch and wait.

He felt himself be shaken as Emi swayed to and fro with an unseen tempo, her eyes still closed as she danced upon his aching feet. Perhaps it was symbolic that the woman of his affections remained oblivious to the pain she caused him while he simply remained quiet, obedient: a tame Demon King.

After their kiss at the museum, Maou had been certain that something would change. He had been so excited to think that the dynamic between the Hero and the Devil might shift even an inch, and now he felt like nothing had changed at all. Maou's face, shrouded in darkness as it was, lit up with a smile that looked more like the painful grimace of a feverish madman as negative thoughts whirled through him. And still the woman he cared about, the woman with whom he'd shared a moment of passion, continued to dance, unaware of the demon that rose in Maou's heart.

The Hero and the Devil turned on the spot, Maou slowly guiding Emi as they danced. A few steps would bring them to the edge of the bed, where it was a long drop to the floor.

'How easy it would be,' Maou thought, sadness etched into every syllable of his inner voice, 'to just let her lean back too far… to let her fall from her perch upon my pain. Let her go, let her fall, and let her trouble me no more.'

Emi felt nothing as she danced with Maou. Sure, she obviously felt him, but she also felt a deep sense of warmth within her as she remembered the vague memories of rainy days spent dancing with her father by the fireplace. A serene calm washed over her and she kept her eyes closed so as to let the feeling linger. She swayed with a light, long rhythm in her head that made the warmth in her chest even hotter. She began to lose awareness of her surroundings, and soon it was just her and some dark stranger as they danced about her head.

'Maou is a pretty handy dancer,' Emi thought as she went.

She felt Maou steer her as the dance went on, and she figured he might be moving for a more comfortable spot so as to spare his sore feet. She smiled and leaned back, letting her neck loosen as it did, but then she felt a sudden lack of support and Emi reeled back. Maou had steered her towards the edge of the bed and now Emi was about to fall off. Her eyes opened and she gave a small yelp as she prepared to fall. She looked to Maou, but found that his face was obscured in shadow, his arms limp at his sides as she lost balance. Something was clearly amiss, but Emi was so panicked by the fall she hardly had time to register it.

'She is a weakness,' Maou reasoned with himself, 'she is obviously not healthy for me, it's best if I just let her…'

"Uwah- Maou," Emi cried as she reeled back, frightened by the sudden lack of support.

'My name,' Maou thought, his red eyes widening, 'that's it, she hasn't been calling me 'Demon King', she's been calling me 'Maou'!'

The Demon King had saved the Hero, time and time again, without reward. Even though he had been haunted by the red haired beauty every night while he slept, even though he felt his sense of reality fade a bit more with each passing night, Maou found he couldn't blame the Hero. In fact, now that he heard proof that their relationship had indeed changed, he calmed down a bit.

A hand shot out and grabbed Emi's wrist, steadying her and stopping her from falling backward onto the floor. Emi looked at Maou, and she saw the red glow in his eyes, the same glow she'd seen when she'd accidentally cut herself.

"Sorry, Emi," Maou said, his voice incredibly weary, "I must've zoned out."

He pulled Emi up with one hand and used the other to run his hand through his hair. Emi landed upon the bed with her face mere inches from Maou's, and now that she looked at him, she saw the large dark circles under his eyes. Perhaps she wasn't the only one who'd had trouble sleeping.

"Emi."

"Yeah?"

Their voices were quiet as their faces were so close, but Maou did not meet her eyes, he kept them firmly planted upon the where they stood, with Emi's feet once more upon his own.

"I've been wanting to talk to you, about what happened," Maou said quietly.

"Have you been having nightmares too," Emi asked.

Maou said nothing, but Emi pressed on.

"I just-I saw the rings under your eyes and I figured you hadn't slept much," Emi said, just now noticing how close their faces were.

"I'm pretty tired, yeah. Anyway-"

"If you like you could stay the night," Emi offered quickly, "er, I don't know, it's morning now. I guess you could get some shut eye before you left… if you wanted."

"No, Emi," Maou said, feeling strangely numb as he stared at the bed beneath him, "that's fine. I plan on staying up for a while, I don't want to overstay my welcome. Pleasant dreams."

Maou stepped back, carefully removing his feet from under Emi's as he slid off the bed and prepared to leave.

"C'mon Maou, it's so earrrrlyyyy. And I'm so tiiiirrrred," Emi slurred, sliding down and throwing her arms over Maou's shoulders, "stay here, get some rest. It's the least I can do to repay you. You can sleep in the guest room."

"Actually," Maou said, a faint smile crawling across his face, "I should sleep in here. If you have nightmares I'll suck them out before they escalate."

"But how are you going to sleep if you're watching over me," Emi plied, sitting on the bed and rubbing at her eyes.

"I wasn't really planning on doing much sleeping," Maou said quietly, "right now I just need some time too… think things through."

Emi was shocked at the sudden change in Maou's behavior. One moment he was fine and making snarky comments, the next he looked so preoccupied that Emi found it amazing that he was still talking to her.

"Suit yourself, but try to get some sleep, Maou, ok? We're all counting on you to stay in tiptop shape. I can't fight the Demon King if he starts going soft."

Emi rolled over and hit the switch on the lamp next to her bed before throwing a pillow and a blanket onto the floor for Maou, who ignored these and sat in a chair instead. In the darkness, he could hear Emi's breathing, and with his demonic powers, which were made to hunt creatures of lesser power, he could hear the blood pumping through her veins, and he could practically taste her muddled thoughts.

"Goodnight Maou," Emi said quietly.

Maou, who'd wanted to distance himself from Emi and think things over rationally, felt her words cut through his mental shielding and shatter his inhibitions. For a moment, Maou considered simply climbing into bed with Emi. He didn't want to do anything awful to her, but just to be nearer to her, to be able to feel her heat on his chest, would make his night better.

'That's a great way to get yourself killed,' Maou thought as he leaned back, crossed his arms and closed his eyes so as to get some thinking in.

The Devil was furiously debating with himself, and asking how he'd fallen for the Hero. He wondered if he shouldn't just vanish, renounce his throne and hide from Emi for his remaining lifespan. Or perhaps he should've just told the Hero that he would stay in Japan so that she would leave. All these thoughts and more chased themselves through Maou's throbbing cranium for hours as the light outside the window grew brighter. When it became clear nothing would happen with Emi, whose dreams were quite calm and peaceful, Maou settled onto the floor, the only conclusion to his quandary still eluding him. He knew one thing though, if it ever came down to it, if his loyalty was ever tested, he would be unable to break away from Hero.

'If my actions tonight have proven anything, it would be that I am unable to let her go, even when she's a pain in the ass,' Maou thought as he drifted off to sleep.

As per usual, he tried to think of just about anything but Emilia as he waited for sleep to take him, and as per usual, he failed quite miserably. Her green eyes, long red hair and kind smile were the last things to cross Maou's mind before he finally gave in to his severe exhaustion. All throughout his rest, however, he was caressed by the Hero of his dreams, the one who reciprocated his love and made him feel like reality was slipping farther and farther away whenever he woke up.

Emi, on the other hand, woke up a few hours later, the sun now bright in the sky as it speared beams of bright sunlight through her curtains. She rolled over and found Maou was sleeping on the floor, his body pressed tight against the frame of Emi's bed, as if he'd gotten as close to her as he could without being obtrusive. Emi shook the thought from her head, it was more likely that he simply needed the back support.

She stepped over him and crept for the door when she heard the Demon King speak.

"Emi… heheh, Emiiii."

She turned, but instead of seeing Maou awake and talking to her, her eyes fell upon a sleeping Demon King with a peaceful smile upon his face.

"Maou," Emi asked quietly, sure that he was talking to her.

"Emi, you're so…," Maou said before rolling over and hugging his pillow.

Emi's eyes opened wide for a moment before she turned and left her room. At first she was unsure of what had happened, but then it hit her, if the Demon King had not been awake, then he must have been dreaming of Emi. Why else would he speak her name as he slept?

She turned the knob of the faucet and let the water pour for a moment, making sure it was cold before she put a glass beneath it, but after taking a drink she found that the Devil's words made even less sense to her.

"He was dreaming about me," Emi said, sure that it was true, "I suppose that explains why he hasn't slept much. I mean, you don't have good dreams about your sworn enemy, do you?"

But then Maou's face floated to the forefront of her mind, and she remembered his peaceful, serene smile as he slept and spoke her name.

"Maybe…"

Emi couldn't quite tell when she'd begun to not hate the Devil, but she now knew that she regarded all of her Ente Islan comrades with a certain level of trust founded upon the mutual want for their lives to continue as they were now. Was it so surprising that Maou no longer viewed Emi as an enemy? In truth, he'd only fought her because she tried to kill him, he never actively sought conflict with her. Perhaps he was just as happy as she was that Bernael hadn't managed to rip their little group apart. The image of her mind's eye flashed again and she saw herself and Maou, kissing furiously as they fought to restore Raphael's power.

It had been a necessity, and while Emi couldn't quite explain how she felt about it, she got the feeling that Maou wasn't troubled by nightmares. But then why would he be dreaming of her? She set the cup of water down on the counter and quickly left the kitchen, intending to go and shake Maou awake and demand to know the reason behind his nightly visions.

"EMI, PLEASE!"

Emi heard Maou's scream and froze for a moment before she took off for her room, running as fast as she could, and wondering what had happened.

But as soon as the door to her room opened, she knew that something was off. Maou was now awake, leaning against the bed, tears streaming down his face as he gently wept.

"Oh, Emi," he said, turning away from the Hero, "I was wondering where you'd gotten off too."

"Maou, what's going on, why'd you scream?"

Maou said nothing. He did nothing, he waited. He wouldn't give up any information unless specifically asked, and even if he was asked directly…

"What do you mean?"

"You've been acting strangely since you came here. I heard you say my name when you were sleeping and just now when you yelled for me, and now you're crying! Something's been eating at you, spill it!"

…he could always just lie.

"Emi, I wasn't dreaming about you," Maou said with a laugh as he folded his hands behind his bed.

"Then why did you say my name?"

"Well, you were in the dream, but so were Ashiya and Urushihara and Suzuno and Chiho. We went to the park and had a picnic, but then you got stung by a bee, so I sort of laughed at you and I said 'Emi, you're so fat now!'"

Emi, hearing how easily the lies rolled from Maou's tongue, had no choice but to believe them as they did.

"Then you pulled out your sword and attacked me and you… you killed Dullahan the Second as I watched and pleaded for mercy," Maou said loudly, looking thoroughly put out as his eyes became wet once more.

"So… you weren't dreaming about me," Emi asked, looking rather cross as she looked down at Maou.

"Not really," Maou laughed, "in fact, you only appeared after the bee stung you, like an afterthought."

Meanwhile, moments before Maou's awakening, he had actually been dreaming quite vividly about Emi, as he often did during the night. It was an excellent dream too, one that might even make him consider missing work, if he'd actually had to work that morning. He was sitting upon a fine golden throne, his limbs muscular, long, and draped in fine robes; his horns were wrapped with golden ornaments, both horns perfectly whole and well, and between them hung a burning crown. The throne was covered in pelts, silks and other fine fabrics and though Maou's body was actually technically human due to the lack of goat legs, that wasn't what held his attentions. They were entirely focused upon Emi, who sat sideways upon his lap as they gently held each other. Nothing could be seen aside from Maou's throne and the two people upon it, but somehow Maou knew that all was well.

In his dreams, he and Emi were closed off from the world, and yet Maou knew that the world was at peace. Humans and demons lived and worked side by side, peace spread throughout Ente Isla, and the Devil had his Hero.

"Someone's coming."

Emi spoke, her voice sweet and unworried as she slowly turned to look at the darkness right in front of Maou's throne.

'This isn't right,' Maou thought, 'there aren't supposed to be any interruptions.'

"No, but I'm done letting you try to hide from your feelings in here," said a very familiar voice, "it's time you face them!"

"You," Maou said, his red eyes flashing dangerously as he stared at the person before him.

There, standing before his throne, was Maou. But even though there were two of them, one was so very different from the other they might have been two different people. One Maou was comfortable, at ease and lounging upon a golden throne with his lover, the other was… refined. He was vivid and so real that Maou knew that he should not be in the dream… and yet there he was, standing as bold as brass before the full might of the Devil and the Hero.

"Maou, I've let you enjoy your time with her thus far because it has been a good way to help you heal," the real Maou said, "but it's gone too far, now."

"Who are you, and who do you think you are, invading my dreams," the dream Maou asked, looking angrier by the moment.

"I am the demon instinct that you so kindly invited in here. Now, usually I don't bother you, but this is starting to get out of hand. If this woman means so much to you, let her know! Stop using your head as an escape from reality," the real Maou retorted.

"She's not an escape," dream Maou said, looking at the Emi that lay strewn across his lap, "she's the most beautiful woman in the world."

"She's an afterimage of the real thing, a device that allows you to dump your unrequited affections onto it. But now it's becoming more than that, it's becoming an obsession. Look at yourself, Maou, your mind is so busy trying to recreate her in detail that it spared little thought to you! You are a vague shadow, pouring yourself into this endless nothingness!"

"Lies," Maou shouted.

"I do not lie! I speak out of concern for you! You saw what happened to Bernael, didn't you? In the end he was so bitter that Beliel chose you that he killed the woman he loved! Do not become him, do not let this unhinged fantasy of yours take you over! You have subordinates, Generals, and humans that care for you! Let her go!"

"I can't," Maou shouted, "she means far too much to me."

"Then I shall help," the demon said, stepping forward and gently lifting Emi into his arms, like a princess in a fairy tale.

"Where are you going? Come back," Maou shouted after the retreating figure of his demon form carrying his love.

"I am taking her away from you, if you want her so bad, talk to the real thing about having lunch sometime."

"EMI! NO GIVE HER BACK! EMIIII! I SWEAR I'M NOT OBSESSED, JUST GIVE HER TO ME, PLEASE! EMIIII!EEEMMIIIIIIII!"

But call as he might, Maou found himself stuck to the throne he sat upon. Helpless, as the vision of perfection that he'd spent the last week creating, perfecting, and loving, was wrested from him forever.

"Salutations, good Ashiya."

It was Suzuno, who greeted Ashiya politely as she swept past him into the Demon Fortress. He let her enter, looking very tired and unhappy as he peered out into the hallway, as if waiting for someone else to show up.

"The Demon King is not here, did he have to work today?"

"No," Ashiya said, "and he spared no time to wake me and tell me where he went. I've been stuck with Urushihara all day. The only pleasurable company I've had so far has been Chiho."

"Hey, Suzuno," Chiho said, looking over her shoulder from the oven, "I thought you might come over. We haven't all really sat down together since last weekend, and even then you were all so tired and sore I didn't get to really interact with you."

"It is good to see you as well, Chiho, but Ashiya, where exactly do you think he could have gone," Suzuno asked, clenching her fists under the table as she thought of the possibility of the Devil slipping away in the night to do evil deeds.

"I have a hunch," a voice said as the door to the closet slid open.

"Urushihara, you knew where our lord went and you didn't bother telling me," Ashiya asked, threateningly waving the ladle at the fallen angel.

"I don't know for sure, but I know I heard him answer his phone and say Emi's name," Urushihara said, "so wherever she is, I'd guess he's somewhere nearby."

"Emi called the Devil in the late hours of the night," Suzuno asked, causing Chiho to stop what she was doing at the counter.

The fallen angel's eyes flickered to the unusually still high school girl that he knew was infatuated with the Demon King before he grinned evilly.

"No, no, if she called late, we would've been awake. Ashiya likes to keep us awake so that we can welcome Maou home; as such we're often up until midnight, sometimes later than that. No, Emi called early in the morning, at a time when most usual people are asleep, and the ones that aren't are either insomniacs, third shifters or… well, engaged in _other_ activities."

The knife in Chiho's hand clattered to the floor as she became red in the face at Urushihara's insinuations. Before she could turn around and smack him, however, Suzuno beat her to the punch.

"This is for making Chiho uncomfortable," Suzuno growled, flicking Lucifer's ear, "and this is for insinuating such a relationship between the Hero and the Devil!"

Suzuno picked her sandal up from by the door and thrust it under Urushihara's chin, making his teeth clatter before he hit the floor with a groan.

"Say what you like, but the fact remains that Maou has been acting weirder and weirder by the day, and then last night he gets a call from Emi and he's out the door! Something's up, whether you acknowledge it or not," Urushihara said, wiping his lip and checking for signs of blood.

"I was hoping I'd only imagined it," Ashiya said, stopping halfway as he cut an onion and ignored Suzuno's assault of the other Demon General in the room, "but I think Lucifer has a point. This last week, my lord has been increasingly resistant to my efforts to rouse him in time for work. The result being that he's almost been late three days in a row."

"Yeah," Chiho said, "I noticed that as well, and his work performance has been down. I was gonna ask you guys about it when I got here, but I wanted him to be here when we discussed it."

"My lord has not been performing at work," Ashiya inquired, knowing how proud the Devil was of his job at MgRonald's, "how so?"

"Well, for the last week, he looked like he hadn't gotten much sleep. On his breaks he'd just sit in the break room, lay his head on the table and not move until it was time for him to go back to work. And even when he was working, everything he did was sort of sub-par, like he had other things on his mind. And whenever there were no customers, he'd just sort of… grow still. He'd stare off into space and act like nothing existed."

"I can certainly vouch for Maou's lack of sleep," Urushihara said, "I haven't gotten much sleep either. You have no idea how awkward it is to get up to get a glass of water while Maou is just staring at the ceiling like a crazy person."

"Why haven't you been sleeping, Urushihara," Chiho asked politely.

Though Chiho had never really been a huge fan of the NEET angel since he abducted her, she still found his input to be entertaining, though irritating. As a person, he might not have been the nicest, but Chiho had hope for the jerk, yet.

"I just haven't," Urushihara said, crossing his arms, "you try sleeping in a closet when your limbs are asleep.

"I'll admit to not having gotten much sleep since the museum, either," Suzuno said, looking at the ground, "and if I had to guess, that is what has been affecting us all."

And suddenly Urushihara thought he understood why Maou had been summoned by Emi so late in the morning, as he was privy to the details of their arrangement involving the extraction of her feelings to supply Maou with demonic power. Maou, Ashiya, and Urushihara had each other for support, such as it was in a house with three demons. And then they had Suzuno, who was always close at hand, and Chiho, who often brought them spare goods from her parents' freezer and pantry, to lean on during tough times. Emi had no one. After long days at work, she could only return home to be by herself, only able to talk to her Ente Islan comrades by using the phone unless she traveled to see them.

"Oh yeah," Urushihara said, looking profoundly proud of himself, "I bet if someone called Maou or Emi, we'd find them together."

"Imbecile!"

"I didn't mean it like that!"

But that didn't stop Suzuno from throwing her sandal at Urushihara, and nor did it staunch the nosebleed it caused.

Emi looked Maou over with a sharp eye as he sat against her bed, telling her lies. Of course, Emi knew they were lies, she was the Hero. But more than that, she knew a bit about psychology herself. Whenever someone lied, there was a physical reaction. Whether it was a twitch, a muscle spasm, flickering eyes, or a nervous sweat, there was always something. Even though Maou was an expert at hiding these symptoms, there was something he must not have known: the fact that when humans lie, they often look to their left. A strange fact, one that stuck with Emi even though she didn't know where she'd picked it up, but when Maou had told her the dreams he'd had were not about her, she watched his eyes flicker as he looked to the right, which would've been his left.

'He's lying,' Emi thought as she watched Maou.

It shouldn't have surprised her, but somehow the thought that Maou was lying to her made her feel… jealous? No, what did she have to be jealous of, they weren't in a relationship. Perhaps she was just angry because the Devil didn't trust her…

'Did I just infer a relationship between me and the Devil? And why the hell would I need his trust,' she thought angrily as she listened to Maou's quickly constructed and perfectly fabricated tale of false dreams.

The best lies always contained a bit of truth, and more often than not, the more unbelievable ones could always have a strange detail or two thrown in to make them easier to swallow.

"So," Emi said carefully, "you weren't dreaming about me?"

She watched Maou closely, looking for more signs of untruthfulness, and sure enough…

"Not really," Maou said with a nervous laugh as he averted his gaze and twiddled his thumbs behind his head, "in fact, you only appeared after the bee stung you, like an afterthought."

"I see," Emi said, looking down at Maou with unseeing green eyes as she thought about what their conversation meant. From it, Emi could gather that Maou had indeed been dreaming about her, but she also knew that he would deny it unto his dying breath, so there was no point calling him out for it. And even if Emi tried to summon her holy sword and threaten Maou into telling the truth, the butterflies in stomach were fluttering so violently she felt she didn't have the concentration to pull it off.

"Anyway," Maou said, yawning as he stretched and made to lay back down on the floor, "I think I'm gonna go back to sleep, provided I haven't overstayed my welcome."

Maou looked at Emi quizzically, as her face was inscrutable, and for a moment Emi was tempted to throw the Demon King out on his ass for lying to her. But then the thought of incurring the horrible wrath of the house-husband, Ashiya, and upsetting Maou to the point that he broke off their agreement, or worse, revealed it to Suzuno and Chiho, crossed her mind and she calmed slightly.

'Maou seems to be rather afraid of me for some reason,' Emi thought, thinking back to how he'd reacted when she'd stayed the night at the Villa Rosa last weekend, before Bernael captured Ashiya. She'd tried to help him with a burn on his hand, only to find the Demon King flinched from the contact as if she herself had burnt him. Even when they'd been dancing, Emi felt a certain stiffness from Maou, like he had been holding back and keeping himself as distanced from Emi as he could. With all these things weighing upon her, Emi resolved to do that which she swore she never would…

"No, you can stay, but you'll have to stay in my bed. There will be a pillow boundary, so don't get any ideas, and if you don't like it then you can sleep outside," Emi proclaimed, sounding more like an officer in the military than a young woman.

…she would share her bed with the Devil.

 **What's that, you came here looking for quality fanfiction with a driven plot, good writing and relatable ideals? Well, keep moving cause I don't have anything like that in stock, all I have is this senseless dribble that I bang out at 4 in the morning because I have a lot of feelings. Anyway, in this chapter we see the Devil and the Hero hashing out their relationship and trying to figure out their own feelings. Maou, in his infinite wisdom, tries to commit suicide by throwing Emi off of the bed, which wouldn't hurt the Hero, but would've sealed his fate by her hand. This is meant to show Maou trying to let her go... but it's not so easy, is it, Maou? Emi is confused and unsure of how to handle Maou's covert affections, and Maou's demon side is getting really sick of his twin's screwy dreams, so he takes the Emi out of his dreams and makes the Devil quit his addiction cold turkey, cause let's face it, that's what Maou has, an unhealthy addiction. And Emi, bless her heart, is feeding this addiction a feast! Anyway, I told you guys that to celebrate this becoming my most viewed story, I'd give you another chapter before I move on to the usual rotation where I update the oldest story. And here it is. Now, when I post music I didn't realize you guys can't copy and paste the youtube urls, so I'm just gonna post titles and artists for you to search on your own.**

 **Save Me - Reaktion ft. The Eden Project**

 **(I've been in an EDEN aka. The Eden Project mood, his songs are just... amazing. Plus they really give a certain depth to Maou's infatuation...)**

 **Gravity - EDEN**

 **Stall Me - Panic! at the Disco**

 **Good night, and pleasant dreams, Devils. I'll see you on the next update. Goodness knows I hope I can get a longer chapter out for you guys. And if you guys usually don't look up the music I suggest... do yourself a favor and give a listen to EDEN, the guy in amazing, seriously. Can't get enough of him. And sorry for spelling errors. After 3am my eyes get kinda blurry and it's harder to write and read for errors.**


	17. The Devil and the Hero: Servitude

Maou, who was certain that he would be awake for hours due to his situation, ended up falling asleep and resting peacefully. He woke gently later in the day, with his eyes shut and a smile upon his face. A deep, dreamless sleep had found him at last, and he had been so deeply asleep that when he woke he couldn't even remember his anguish. He didn't know who he was, nor where he was. All he knew was a sublime comfort that made him grin with pleasure. The world, for all he knew and cared, didn't exist, all that mattered was this incredibly warm, comfortable bed and the soft pillow he was holding close to him. He gave a tired laugh as he pulled the pillow closer to him, pressing his face into its softness as he reveled in his selfish selflessness.

"Demon King, what are you doing?"

The voice was hard and angry, and for a moment Maou feared his lovely dream had turned into a nightmare. But no, he was awake on some level, he felt the sun as it burned into his clothes and he remained where he was, safe and secure in his bed. Maou, opening his eyes for the first time since his waking, felt his stomach drop from his body. He had been holding Emi, not a pillow, and though he released her as swiftly as possible, the look she shot him still seemed to physically impact him.

"I am not a pillow," Emi growled before smoothing down her long hair and giving Maou a cruel smile.

"Sorry, my mistake, I'd best be off," Maou said, smiling and waving goodbye at Emi as he made for the door to her bedroom. He turned to find her right next to the doorway though, and she gently but firmly closed it.

"Well now, it seems you owe me, Demon King."

"Back to Demon King already? I thought we were starting to come around to each other," Maou said with a high pitched voice as Emi slowly advanced upon him.

With a slash of her hand, the Evolving Holy Sword, Better Half, appeared. She cut the air where Maou had been, not quite coming close enough to hit Maou, but causing him to duck beneath the blow all the same. He dodged beneath her outstretched arm before opening the door to Emi's room and taking off down the hall, but a strange noise made him look around, like a buzzing, humming energy.

"Hiya!"

Emi's shout met Maou before the alarm clock she had chucked at him did, glowing with Celestial Force as it flew. Its aim was true and righteous, and before Maou could make the turn into the kitchen, he was caught in the back of the head by the clock, which shot sparks upon impact. Maou stumbled and tripped, landing face down on the carpet. A shadow fell over him as Emi leapt through the air like a diver into the water. She did not soften the blow, and with the sound of air whooshing from Maou's lungs, Emi landed upon his back.

"Alright now, I'm not letting you up until you consent to the terms of repayment," Emi huffed as she laid on Maou's back.

"For WHAT?"

"For trying to cuddle with me, you repulsive demon!"

"First off," Maou said, trying and failing to dislodge the large, magenta haired tumor that was the Hero from his back, "I wasn't trying to cuddle you, I SUCCEEDED!"

"You BASTARD!"

Emi struck Maou across the back of the head with her alarm clock, making the bell mechanism ding for a moment.

"And second-god, that hurts- I didn't WANT to cuddle you, it just happened because I thought you were a pillow-OW!"

Emi smacked her alarm clock over Maou's head once more, bringing tears to his eyes.

"What was that for," Maou groaned as the Hero ground him into the carpet.

"For insinuating that I'm fat like a pillow," Emi said, her voice sounding rather hurt.

"Ok, so what's it gonna take for you to get off me," Maou's muffled voice called from within the carpet.

"Oh, not much," Emi said, picking herself up so that she was sitting on Maou's back, her legs crossed and one foot kicking as if she were on a park bench.

Half an hour later, Emi was sitting at her kitchen table, watching the Devil as he made her breakfast. His nose was red and raw with carpet burns and he stomped about, slamming down the ingredients required to make Emi's morning meal.

"So, while you're sitting there, would you mind telling me how long I have to do this," Maou asked on a monotone as he began to crack eggs in a pan.

"I'm sorry, I don't recall giving you permission to speak," Emi giggled, "and besides, have you forgotten what you're supposed to call me?"

Maou blanched and nearly dropped the egg in his hand. He slowly turned to look at Emi, blue in the face as he looked at her pleadingly.

"Emi…"

"Mmm, no, that's not quite right," Emi said, raising an eyebrow and smirking at Maou.

"Ugh…."

"Even less right," Emi retaliated, her voice much less kind than it was a moment ago, "say it or I'll give you something much worse than carpet burn!"

"Qu-Queen Emi," Maou whispered, only loud enough for him to hear.

"What was that, you miserable coward," Emi asked, stepping dangerously close to Maou with a wicked grin upon her face.

"I said… Queen Emi," Maou wretched, as if the words themselves made him sick.

"Better, and in response to your question, you are to do whatever I say for the entire day, and you must always address me as Queen Emi, or whatever else I deem is a fit title."

"Blergh," Maou groaned, leaning over the sink and causing Emi's smile to twitch.

"Stiff upper lip, Maou, we've got all day to get you used to this. After all, once I've defeated you, this is likely what will happen to you, you know," Emi said seriously as she took her seat at the table once more.

"What do you mean," Maou asked, genuinely curious as to Emi's train of thought.

'Like hell I'd end up a slave for the Hero, I'd die first,' he thought desperately.

"Well, provided the citizens of Enta Isla let you live, chances are they'll have me act as your keeper. That means I'll have to keep you under lock and key, all the time. You'll probably beg me to act as my servant after a few years in chains," Emi said, her evil grin lengthening with each syllable.

"You know, this isn't very Hero-y of you," Maou called to her over his shoulder as he used the spatula to flip Emi's breakfast in the frying pan.

"Yeah, whatever, just consider this your punishment for trying to cuddle with me this morning," Emi said tiredly, picking up the paper and flicking through it.

"I succeeded," Maou said a little too loudly.

"YOU WANNA GET CLOCKED AGAIN," Emi asked, picking up the alarm clock and preparing to throw it at Maou.

"NO, MY QUEEN!"

Maou laid Emi's breakfast onto the table before her, and to Emi's surprise she found quite a delectable palate. There were eggs, sausages, fried vegetables, whole grain brown rice, pretty much anything she could've wanted. But still, it was her job to torment the Devil. A little bit, at the very least.

"I'm not sure I want any of this," Emi said.

Maou's jaw dropped, and he began to wildly wave the spatula like a sword, cursing Emi and her rules of servitude.

"EMI, YOU WITCH, THIS IS TOTALLY UNFAIR! I SLAVED OVER A HOT STOVE AND YOU JUST TURN YOUR NOSE UP AT MY CULINARY GENIUS? FINE, GO HUNGRY, I THINK I UNDERSTAND HOW ASHIYA FEELS WHEN URUSHIHARA'S BEING AN UNGRATEFUL LITTLE-"

Maou stopped, for with every word he spoke, a shadow fell over Emi's face.

"Make me French toast, now."

"THIS ISN'T FRANCE YOU- WAH," Maou shouted as Emi prepared to throw the clock once more.

"French. Toast. Now."

"Yes, my Lady, I mean, my Queen!"

Maou gave a low bow and once more began to cook, and within a matter of minutes, the French toast was made. It was nowhere near as beautiful as Maou's eggs were, but after one bite, Emi quickly began to inhale the French toast.

"That was good," Emi said happily, leaning back in her chair and patting her belly.

"Erm," Maou said absently.

Emi looked at him to find he was eyeing the platter of breakfast Emi had pushed away. She gave a small smile before waving a hand.

"Go ahead and eat," Emi said, allowing Maou the privilege of a hearty breakfast, "you'll need to be strong for the remainder of the day's activities!"

Maou, whom had begun to dig into the eggs with glee, suddenly stopped and glared at Emi, sure that whatever was to come would not be pleasant.

And sure enough, three hours later, Maou was following Emi about the Muiraya Super Market, on the outskirts of Eifuku, carrying several heavy, grocery laden bags and looking rather put upon.

"Hurry up," Emi said, "we're not done with the groceries, yet! And we still have to hit three more stores, this one doesn't sell shoes."

Maou, thanks to Emi's rather limited courtesy, had been allowed to shower and clean himself before they'd left, but she had since led him hastily through the supermarket, seizing things and stuffing them into Maou's arms.

'Couldn't she have just told me to grab a cart,' Maou mentally moaned.

"Keep up, Maou," Emi called brightly as she stuffed ever more objects into his arms, "we have a few more stores to hit!"

"How much is all this going to cost," Maou asked, noting how Emi took name brand items for just about everything."

"Why should I care, you're paying for it!"

Maou blanched, and a few the smaller items slipped through his arms and clattered to the floor. His budget was already taking a thrashing, and now he was supposed to pay for Emi's ungodly list of name brand groceries and household necessities? What would Ashiya say? Maou's stomach dropped as it turned to lead, but Emi simply chuckled and walked back up to Maou, restacking the various objects that had tumbled to the floor back into his arms.

"Just kidding," Emi said, blowing hair out of her face as she stood back up and set a box of raisins on top of the pile in Maou's arms.

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack," Maou said loudly, wondering what he'd done to deserve such a fright.

"Look on the bright side, things don't seem quite as bad as they did a second ago, do they," Emi asked, once more taking up a steady gate for Maou to follow.

They walked through the store and after about an hour, Maou was rubbing his sore, tired arms. He had managed to struggle the load onto the conveyor belt by the check out, red in the face and sweaty from the labor. It was all bagged and paid for with a single swipe of Emi's bank card before Maou was once more laden with the burden of Emi's shopping, though as it was bagged it was now slightly easier to handle.

They walked down the sidewalk bordering a large street, Emi in the lead as they wound their way out of Eifuku and into a neighboring district. As they walked, Emi could hardly think of anything, save for the unpleasant squirming in her gut and the Demon King that followed her wherever she went. As nice as it was to not carry her own baggage, she didn't entirely trust the Demon King as he silently marched along behind her, looking grim and tired.

'But why can't you trust him,' a little voice in her head asked, 'the two of you stayed in the same bed last night and neither of you were dead in the morning.'

"This morning…." Emi whispered, thinking back on the warm, comfortable sensation she'd felt before she was fully awake.

It was refreshing to her, waking up without nightmares, without remembering her problems or anything that could bring her down… no, for a few minutes, she felt amazing. She was being held in the arms of someone she knew and trusted, and they pulled her closer against them, pressing their body against hers. It was an incredible feeling, and the thought of it made Emi's face hot and red in the bright sun as they carefully maneuvered through crowds of people.

What had woken her from her partial slumber had not been Maou himself; it was the realization that there was no one in Japan whom she trusted enough to snuggle up against. Sure enough, when she'd turned about, the Demon King had been snoozing away, his arms around Emi's middle as he drooled into her pillows.

'I should toss those into the wash when we get back,' Emi thought as she walked, her head down as her pace slowed considerably.

"Hey, Emi, are you falling asleep on me?"

The Demon King was standing in front of Emi, painstakingly lifting his arm so as to snap his fingers in her face.

Snap, snap, snap.

"C'mon Emi, we're gonna get run over here in a second, rush hour starts soon!"

"Kya!"

"ARGH!"

Emi, startled from her visions of her morning by the very person whose presence was muddling her thoughts, quickly grasped the alarm clock she'd put in her purse and brought it down on the top of Maou's head, causing him to cry out in pain.

"Vile demon, what are you supposed to call me?!"

"Que-Queen Emi… ow…"

Emi's phone began to ring, and an ostentatious tone rang out through the crowd. Emi, taking it in stride, answered the call, pivoted upon her heel and quickly began to walk away from Maou, who struggled to keep up with his arms still laden down with many heavy bags.

"Emilia, it is I, Alciel, have you seen my lord?"

"I have. He's currently right here with me," Emi said, looking over her shoulder to find Maou panting as she fought to stay with her in the crowd.

"I would like to speak with him," Alciel said in a flat tone, "would you put him on."

"Nope."

"Come again?"

"Sorry Alciel, but as of this moment, and the rest of the day, Maou is under my direct control. He has committed the most horrendous of crimes, and now he must be punished. He does not have my permission to use a phone at the moment," Emi said, reveling in the power she held over her adversary. She glanced back at Maou with a heartless smile, but Maou simply stared straight ahead, ignoring Emi's words.

"What sort of crimes has Demon King Satan committed," Alciel asked.

From his tone, Emi could guess that Alciel was planning on disassembling Maou's punishment and shortening his sentence, but Emi was not having any of it.

"I don't want to talk about that right now," Emi said loudly, holding the phone away from her ear and blushing once more.

"I see… can you at least tell me that he is alive and well? If you kill my lord, I'm afraid I'll have to end your life in his stead, Emilia."

"He's fine. He's well rested, physically active and he's eaten, though he doesn't seem to be very grateful for it," Emi said, once more casting Maou an evil look over her shoulder, "I think I'll just stop feeding him and see how grateful he is then."

"Silly girl," Alciel scoffed, causing Emi to frown, "you must feed your servants, or else they can't work. Also, I know for a fact that when my lord is over starved he becomes… irritable. For your own safety, I would recommend you feed him about as often as you yourself eat, perhaps more."

"Thanks for the advice, Demon General Alciel."

With a beep, Emi hung up and pocketed her phone, causing Maou to hand his head in defeat, his last hope of rescue extinguished.

Several hours passed as the day wore on, and Maou and Emi had made two trips back to her condo so that Maou could unload the many bags Emi had filled with high quality merchandise at low, low prices. The sun was now a bit lower in the sky, but not low enough to set quite yet. They were on their way to the clothes store, so that Emi could buy herself some new outfits. Apparently, she'd caught the 'bug' when they'd entered the second hand store with Chiho and the others.

Following Emi around had left him parched, but it had also given him time to ponder the many strange looks he'd been given as he carried out his duties. He supposed to many people, Emi and him looked like a couple, with him as the gutless boyfriend that simply followed his pretty girlfriend around and bought her things. Other times, he thought it might have looked the opposite, with him as a boy toy and her as a sugar momma. He was so clouded by his thoughts that he hardly noticed when they'd entered the air conditioned store and Emi had gestured for him to have a drink and use the restroom. After he'd taken a drink from the bubbler, he stood and dipped his hand into the water before rubbing it onto the back of his neck, which felt like it might be sun burned. It might not have been the most hygienic thing to do in a women's clothing store, but at that moment he didn't really care. He looked around the place like someone who'd been working all day on very little sleep. He glared through the store and over the many aisles of clothes racks until he found Emi, who was pulling hanger after hanger from the racks and tossing each garment over her arm.

"Alright, feeling better? Good. You'll now be helping me decide what to wear," Emi said, not meeting Maou's gaze.

"How," Maou asked, unsure of when he'd ever indicated any knowledge of fashion sense.

"It's simple, I'm gonna change, and you are gonna rate each outfit on a scale from one to ten, ten being 'awesome', one being 'meh'," Emi said simply, still not making eye contact with the Demon King.

"Fine, let's get this over with," Maou sighed, wishing he was at home with Ashiya and Urushihara, which was rather strange, seeing as he preferred working to being stuck at home with a NEET and a househusband.

Emi ignored his lack of enthusiasm, stepping into the changing room and beginning the long, arduous process of mixing and matching garments to find the best combinations. Maou took a seat upon a bench, facing the changing room and waiting.

'So far, this is the easiest thing I've had to do,' Maou thought unhappily as he waiting for the Hero to emerge from the dressing room. Fifteen minutes later, Maou was lazily reclined on the bench, his breathing now normal and his skin no longer burning from the sun. It was nice to get a little break, but it made him wonder exactly what was going to happen next.

The sound of a clearing throat brought Maou's attention back to the changing room, where the Hero Emilia stood in the doorway of her stall. She wore a pair of jean capri pants, with a pair of strappy high heeled sandals and a white blouse with elbow length sleeves. It was a rather modern look for something as archaic as capris, but Maou's attentions didn't stray from a single detail of the Hero's figure.

"Well? Rate it so I can try on the next outfit," Emi said, suddenly self-conscious as the Devil's crimson gaze crawled across her skin like insects.

Maou, who noticed the Hero's rather abrasive attitude, smiled as he sensed her insecurities flare up. It would be the perfect chance to ruin Emi's pride, and her plans to keep him as a servant all day! His mind kicked into overdrive. A simple insult wouldn't do, he needed something serious, something to send her into a rage and make her run from the store crying. But what? What should he insult? He quickly scanned Emi's person again, his motives much less pure than before.

There was a problem though: Maou's affection created a strong bias, so wherever his eyes roved over her form, he couldn't help but be dazzled by it. From her slender frame to the way she avoided looking directly at him, everything about her was beautiful and perfect.

"Um…"

"I suggest you hurry with that rating," Emi said, reaching into her bag, which still hung from the crook of her elbow.

A small, muffled ding was heard, but the sound made Maou wince as it wrenched him from his dreamy state of observation. It was the sound of an old fashioned alarm clock bell, a sound that would forever make the Demon King quake with terror.

'Using physical threats to coerce me into giving the outfit a high score, eh,' Maou thought savagely, 'how despicable! Some Hero you are.'

"Tick tock," Emi said quietly, her green eyes meeting the Devil's as she smirked and he scowled. For emphasis, she flicked the alarm clock once again, fighting the urge to laugh as Maou flinched.

"I give it a ten," Maou said finally, conceding defeat as he crossed his arms and pouted.

"Oh, really? That's so sweet of you," Emi said, acting more like a girlfriend who'd just been told how pretty she was by her gutless boyfriend.

'I guess she can't really act like a complete psycho out in public like this,' thought Maou as he watched two women pass between Emi and him, 'she'll have to try and keep up appearances… I wonder if I can work this to my advantage.'

"No problem, you're really pretty today! After your done with that, what say you try on some bikinis, eh, dollface," Maou called, acting like a casual boyfriend would.

"Stupid…perverted…Demon King," Emi whispered under her breath as retreated into the changing room.

A few deep breaths calmed her down slightly, but the thought of Maou speaking to her in such an intimate way made her upset, and slightly confused. Her mind flashed to that morning once again, when she felt completely at ease, safe and secure, wrapped in someone's arms.

'Those were Maou's arms,' Emi thought, gently patting her cheeks to break from her trance, 'and they were far from safe!'

But then another image popped into Emi's head, one that she'd almost forgotten. An image of Maou, kissing her passionately as angels fought overhead. In retrospect, the scene seemed less realistic and more like a mural, perhaps painted by an outsider. The thought of the Devil's-no-Maou's lips upon her own didn't make Emi sick, it made her stand stock still and reminisce in that moment. She could swear his lips were still against hers, she could still feel his hands roaming over her body, and the heat of his own as he pressed himself into her. Emi's pulse quickened and her legs gave out as she sat down upon the chair in the dressing room. She wanted to say that it wasn't a consensual kiss, or that she didn't enjoy it, but to some extent, in some strange part of her being, she found she quite liked kissing the Devil.

'No, it was the kiss itself,' thought Emi as she clasped her hands to fought the shakes that racked her body, 'I've just been alone all my life, and that… that was my first kiss.'

Emi had never actually had the chance to meet a young man her own age; she'd never kissed anyone aside from her father, and even then that was years ago, when he'd tucked her into bed and told her amazing stories of Ente Isla's continents. She was then taken by the Church and trained mercilessly, forged into a weapon that the Church had aimed to control and use for domination. Never, not once, had she met a man her own age that she had feelings for. She was always so driven, so filled with thoughts of revenge and anger that love never got the chance to grow and thrive within her. But now…

"Emi, you ok in there?"

It was Maou, who'd knocked lightly upon the door of the changing room before calling though the door.

"I'm fine," Emi said exasperatedly pushing her inner thoughts back into their hidey holes as she took on a harsh tone.

"Ok, it's just… you've been in there for some time."

Emi ignored the watch on her wrist and pulled out the alarm clock, which she'd rechristened 'Bane of the Demon King.' She'd been sitting there, thinking for almost half an hour.

"You're lucky I'm in the middle of changing," Emi lied, "or else I'd strike you down for not using my title, you swine!"

To punctuate her statement, she smartly wrapped the bell of the alarm clock, hoping to hear Maou yelp, or at least hear him gasp. What she didn't expect was to hear him let out a shout of fright, followed by a loud crash. Emi quickly put on a different shirt and opened the door of the changing room to find Maou lying under the contents of a clothes rack, the majority of the clothes that were once hanging neatly upon it now freshly piled on top of the Demon King.

It seemed that after hearing the bell, Maou had jumped, stumbled, tripped across the entire aisle, and grabbed the clothes rack for support, only to have the clothes come free and fall on him, adding insult to injury. Emi looked at the pair of cheap shoes sticking out from under the pile of clothes for confirmation. Sure enough, they were meticulous and clean, as Maou had tried very hard to keep them in good shape.

"Demon King…"

"Hmph?"

"Let's go!"

Emi grabbed Maou by the collar, threw up an arm laden with bags to shield her face from any cameras, and sprinted for the exit, Demon King in tow.

"You should've just apologized," Maou said loudly as they walked away, "now we're going to get found out and charged with shoplifting! I can't afford jail time, Emi!"

"Will you shut up? I paid for these clothes online and I have the receipt, I was doing an instore pickup! At most they can charge you with accidentally destroying their clothes rack, I saved your butt back there! And what have I told you about using my title?!"

"Oh, now you tell me?! Gee, thanks! I should've known the Hero didn't shoplift, she can pay for anything she wants because she has a fancy shmancy telemarketer job," Maou shouted, ignoring Emi's annoying rules.

"I'm not a telemarketer, I work in tech support you smart ass! And if your next statement doesn't start with 'I'm sorry Queen Emi' I'm gonna shove this clock up your-"

A child passed by them, holding his mother's hand and staring rather intently as Maou and Emi's escalating argument.

"Mommy, why they fight?"

"They're just having a lover's quarrel, darling," she said embarrassedly, "and it's not nice to speak about someone like that. C'mon, let's go, we'll be late."

The mother and her son hurried away, but the tension between Maou and Emi had faded as they realized they were disturbing the people around them. They walked in silence for a time, until finally Maou stopped.

"Emi-uh-my Queen? Could we stop to eat?"

Maou was looking rather hopefully at a small diner. It was quaint, and was painted rather vividly with bright colors that had faded and chipped over the years, yet it still retained its cheery atmosphere. It was quite rare to see things that were historic and old in Tokyo, at least, in areas that were primarily made up of prominent businesses and supermarkets. It was clear that Maou was no fan of the color scheme, nor the flowery patterns, but the fact that he was willing to put that aside for food made Emi want to stop and take a break too.

She agreed, and led the way inside, taking a seat at a table and waiting to be served. It was a quaint place, with a row of tables along the wall and a bar for the café. It was empty, but the smells from the kitchen were intoxicating and they made Maou's stomach grumble.

"What can I get you two today?"

An old woman, surprisingly short and petite, with a tight bun of grey hair and thick spectacles came up and handed them both menus to peruse as she waited for them to order. Maou was perplexed by the steep prices, but when he glanced across the table at Emi, she seemed perfectly at ease.

"I don't know, what sounds good, Maou?"

The statement was quite simple, but it also made Maou even more unsettled than the prices of the diner's food. It was so down to earth and neutral that for a gleaming moment Maou felt like he'd just heard a confession of love from the Hero.

"Uh, the Katsudon Special sounds good," Maou muttered, eyeing up the menu for a price.

'One thousand yen a bowl,' Maou thought, feeling his soul depart his body, 'looks like I'm going hungry.'

"Yeah, that does sound pretty good," Emi said, "two Katsudon Specials, please."

Maou passed his menu to Emi, who handed them to the small, kind natured granny, who scribbled the order before thanking them for their patronage and walking over to the door that lead to the kitchen.

"Geez, you must be hungry," Maou said rather grumpily, "ordering two Katsudon Specials for youself."

"One of them is for you, idiot," said Emi wearily as she played on her phone, "Ashiya made a good point, I have no use for a starving, half-dead servant."

"Oh-I-uh-th-thank you, Queen Emi," Maou said, sitting up straight.

"No problem."

Silence fell between them as Emi continued tapping away at the touch screen on her phone. Maou took the opportunity to look around, noting the early eighties wood grain panels and the vintage jukebox. Everything in the place seemed to be from a different time period that the one they lived in now, and it all still seemed to be in top condition.

"This is pretty cool," Maou said quietly, looking around.

"Oh, you like the décor? Thank you," the granny said, peering at them through thick spectacles as she set two large bowls down upon the table.

"Yeah, I work in a MgRonalds so the old timey fryer back there and the old ice cream machine are kind of cool to me."

"I'm glad you think so," the granny said, "well you two enjoy your food!"

"We will!"

Maou ate like a man devoid of table manners, earning him a reproachful glare from Emi across the table, but once she tried a bite, she understood his reaction: the Katsudon Special was amazing. She immediately grabbed her own chopsticks and began to dig in. A few minutes of furious chewing later, Emi was dabbing her mouth with a napkin as Maou patted his belly, looking like a fat housecat with glazed eyes and a complacent smile.

"I'll leave my money as a tip," Maou said, "because that was the best Katsudon I've ever eaten."

"I know," Emi agreed, "even Ashiya and Suzuno can't make it that well."

"Well, aren't you two just the sweetest couple," the granny said, beaming at the two young people as she emerged from the kitchen and cleared away the plates.

She left them sitting there, looking rather unsure of themselves with a receipt in between them. Emi placed two neat thousand yen bills upon it for the meal, and Maou dug a third thousand yen bill from his own limited savings and set it out as a tip before the both of them stood to leave. Neither of them spoke, and neither of them bothered to deny the old lady's comment as they quickly made their way back towards Eifuku.

"My legs are so tired," Emi groaned after half an hour of silent walking.

"And what's your point… my Queen?"

"Get on your knees," Emi commanded.

"What?"

"I said get on your knees, or I'll clock you again!"

Maou complied, feeling like he was getting mugged for the second time that month. However, something much different happened. Emi kicked off her high heeled strappy sandals, put them in a bag and set them in front of Maou before climbing onto his back.

"Alright, let's go," she said, looking rather pleased as Maou pushed himself into a standing position, Emi and her bags weighing him down substantially. It'd be different if he could activate his demonic powers and use them to fuel his aching limbs, but that would quickly deteriorate the situation. Emi would sense it, and lop off his head before he'd have the chance to explain himself, so he walked as upright as he could, trying to ignore the stares of everyone around him.

"Emi, this is embarrassing," Maou hissed as he made his way down the crowded sidewalk.

"How so? You're giving a ride to your Queen, a cute girl who probably just looks like your girlfriend to other people. Even so, some won't be fooled. You see, I'm way too pretty for a guy like you, so even if they did think we were a couple, they'd just think I was dating you for your money."

"I'll have you know I can pick up ladies any time I want," Maou retaliated, "why, just the other day a cute girl came into work and- ouch!"

Maou was silenced as Emi tightened her legs around his waist, digging her heels into his sore abdomen.

"You be a good servant and give your Queen a silent piggy back ride, or else I'll kick you to death like a bad horse," whispered Emi in a malevolent hiss.

"If I'm the horse, I guess that makes you the pig-ARGH," Maou shouted, feeling his sides being crushed by Emi's thighs.

"Quiet you," whispered menacingly before adopting a falsetto and acting like a concerned girlfriend.

"Oh no, are you alright, darling," she asked loudly.

There was a tone in her voice that suggested she was on the verge of laughter, but Maou simply gave a haggard smile that looked more like a grimace before responding and resuming his pace.

"No, my back just hurts a bit, honey! It's not because of your weight!"

The Devil smiled as Emi's legs tightened threateningly about his waist and her body shook with anger. After the satisfaction of his quip faded away and the ache in his legs began to peak, Maou became horribly aware of the squirming in his gut caused by Emi's position. There she was, straddling his back, her legs held in the crook of Maou's arms and her body pressing close against his own in the light of the setting sun.

'In the end I had to become her slave to achieve this level of closeness… what a sad twist,' Maou thought to himself, absorbed in his own agenda as he and Emi crossed the boundary between Eifuku and its neighboring district. Maou was so careless that he didn't notice Emi stiffen against him, nor did he notice the person in front of them, stepping out of the very supermarket they were in earlier that day.

"Emi," Rika asked incredulously, noticing the girl as she was carried by none other than-

"Maou?!"

"Wha-who-"

"Rika," Emi asked the girl.

"Rika," Maou asked Emi, looking up at her.

"Maou," Emi shouted as he lost his footing.

"Emi," Rika shouted at the both of them collapsed.

Rika, Emi's best friend and personal busybody, couldn't have looked more scandalized if she tried. There was Emi, being carried piggy-back by a man she claimed to hate, and a man who claimed to hate her in return. Rika stared down at them with her hands upon her hips, looking triumphant and surprised at the same time.

"Emi, what are you doing, and why are you all dolled up?"

Maou heard the question and turned to look at Emi, realizing for the first time that Emi was indeed dolled up. Her hair was done up in a messy bun that had come loose and let her magenta locks fall so as to frame her face. She wore a thin layer of makeup which did not ruin her natural looks, and her new clothes stitched it all together quite well, but Rika's question still remained.

"Well? And what are you doing Maou, why are you carrying around a woman who you swore that you despised? What is going on here, this is just so… so…" Rika put her hands on her face before smiling again.

"Rika, I can explain," Emi said, standing up and dusting herself off, lucky to be devoid of serious injury.

"No, it's ok, I'm not gonna judge you guys. It's obviously a secret, right? Forbidden love between the two of you, it's so juicy, so enticing," Rika went off on a stream of raunchy rants as she reveled in her victory.

"No, we're not together," Maou said, standing up, "I just owe Emi, so I'm acting as her servant for the day-"

"A servant? Emi that's so bad, so naughty! You tsundere, you! I can only imagine it: the big strong Maou, forced to do your bidding, at your beck and call to fulfill whatever desires-"

"Rika, shut up, it's not like that! Ugh, c'mon Maou, let's go before she starts spewing lewd thoughts all over us," Emi said, grabbing Maou's wrist and pulling him away as he listened to Rika blather on, surprised by her wildly inappropriate thoughts.

"This girl is your friend," Maou asked as he was dragged away, into a stripmall surrounding a courtyard. The shade was nice, but from behind them, they heard Rika as she called for them to wait.

"Sorry guys," she said, "I just got the wrong Idea! I believe you, really."

"It's nice that you're back to normal," Emi sighed before taking a seat upon the bench.

As if to emphasize his disassociation with her, Maou stood where he was, even with his incredibly sore legs. Emi straightened suddenly and began to dig around in her bags for her shoes, which she strapped on before marching up to the nearest store, which looked like a fast food chain.

"I gotta use the bathroom," Emi said, "I'll be back in a minute."

With the bench now vacated, Maou took a seat and waited for Emi to get back. He leaned back and closed his eyes, but someone sat down next to him. He opened his eyes to find Rika upon the bench right next to him, staring at him purposefully with a strange smile still locked on her face.

"So, tell me the truth Maou, you can be honest with me, are you and Emi-"

"NO," Maou said loudly, crossing his arms and scowling. How could Emi leave him alone with her crazy best friend?

Rika's smile faded somewhat, she was probably coming off as rude and annoying. She didn't know Maou very well, so she supposed that her personality was a tad unsettling for him. She cleared her throat and scooted away from him, smoothing down her skirt and looking around the courtyard. It was growing darker, and the chill breeze was nice on Rika's skin, but her thoughts were elsewhere. There was obviously something between Maou and Emi aside from their competitive business history, but what was it? How could she weasel the truth out of Maou? An idea occurred to her and a wicked grin split her face. She was a woman well versed in the ways of men, and there was a simple test to see how Maou truly felt.

"Oh, hey Emi," Rika called, waving enthusiastically.

Maou's neck almost snapped as he looked around, but far from looking fearful as a servant would, he looked like he wanted to see Emi again. Instead, all he saw was a few scattered people going about their business, and Rika, looking at him like the cat that ate the canary: satisfied and totally evil.

"She's not out here, Maou… but from your reaction, you'd like her to be out here, wouldn't you," Rika asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about," Maou asked, turning away to hide his surprised look.

'Dammit, this Rika chick is good at meddling, isn't she? And she's obviously a lot smarter than she makes herself out to be… I have to be careful,' thought Maou as sweat began to bead his face.

"You don't have to play coy with me, Maou," Rika said, "I can tell you love Emi."

Maou's eyes widened in surprise, but it only served to confirm Rika's growing suspicions. She dropped the evil supervillain guise and smiled genuinely, looking straight ahead as Maou avoided looking at her.

"It's ok, I won't tell Emi. You know, she's been having a really rough week, and I don't know what's causing it. But then there's you, too. From looking at you, I'd guess you haven't slept much, either. I asked Emi, but she insists she's fine and to be honest I'm kinda worried about her. What happened? Are you guys fighting or something?"

"Rika, we're not together," Maou said, his voice little more than a whisper as he leaned forward, "we never were and we never will be."

"So it's one sided," Rika asked.

"Yes, and even if it wasn't we could never… there are just too many obstacles."

"So what are you gonna do," asked Rika, looking Maou over with an eye of concern.

"What do you mean," Maou asked.

"Well, what about your feelings? It's obvious to me that you really care about Emi, but you can't carry those feelings around with you. You need to let them out and find a release for them, otherwise they'll kill you," Rika said, causing the demon in Maou to roar its approval of her words, "the stress can cause heart attacks and in some very rare cases of older couples, there are reports of people dying from a broken heart."

"I didn't know that," Maou said, staring intently at the ground as Rika chided him much like his own demon-self had.

"Yeah, it's scary to think the people we care about could have such a strong pull on our physical and mental wellbeing. In any case, Emi seems to be feeling much better than she did yesterday at work, thanks to you, no doubt," Rika said slyly.

"What happened yesterday?"

"Well, she actually almost quit, and she ran off into the bathroom to cry. She didn't come out for almost an hour, and we had to cover her until she got back. Compared to yesterday, she looks way better… of course, that ties in to what I said before about our loved ones affecting our health," Rika said, gently elbowing Maou in the ribs and wiggling her eyebrows.

"You know, for a normal looking girl, you have a dirty mind," Maou noted with a small smile.

"Thank you, but back to the matter at hand, what are you gonna do? Even if you can't be together, are you ever going to tell Emi?"

"No," Maou said firmly.

Rika frowned and was quiet for a time, thinking about what she could do, but the situation seemed hopelessly irredeemable.

"I'm back, sorry it took so long, there was a line and only one stall," Emi said, looking like she'd just been through the gauntlet.

"Hey Emi," Rika said happily, "I know you keep saying that you and Maou here aren't together, but I was thinking… maybe you guys should test the waters, eh? I'll set it up for the both of you, a nice date, a relaxed atmosphere, good food, the works!"

"Never!"

"No way!"

"All well, in that case, I guess I'll just take Maou on the date. It's a good thing you guys aren't together, cause I tend to keep my boyfriends for a long time!"

Rika was suddenly sitting sideways in Maou's lap looking like the happiest girl in the world. Maou, who'd never been so openly and suddenly propositioned, went red in the face and held up his hands in surrender, even as Rika threw her arms around his neck and pulled him into a tight embrace. In Rika's peripheral vision, however, she watched Emi become stony faced and rather still as she watched her coworker hit on the Demon King. For a moment, Rika feared Emi wouldn't take the bait, but then-

"Fine," Emi snapped, frowning and crossing her arms, "I'll go on this date, but you have to promise me that you'll never try to do anything like this ever again!"

"Deal," Rika said, sliding off of Maou's lap and smoothing out her skirt once more, "I'll text you tomorrow with the time, and you can let Maou know yourself! See you both later!"

With a subtle wink at Maou, Rika happily walked out of the square, triumph in every fiber of her being as Emi and Maou watched her leave, both of them feeling rather awkward. All the same, upon their exit from the square, Emi was once more riding upon Maou's back.

"Don't be such a baby," Emi said as Maou complained, "we're only a few blocks from the building.

Maou felt that this was an excellent argument for Emi to walk, but he simply carried her bags and began the slow march to the building. Half an hour and almost ten city blocks later, Maou had set Emi down and was leaning against the elevator wall as they ascended.

"So, what are we gonna do about this date," Emi asked suddenly.

"Hmm?"

"The date that Rika set up for us? Were you even paying attention or were you distracted because she was all over you? God, you're such a perverted idiot, Maou."

"Yeah, sorry, I don't often get pretty girls like Rika climbing on me like a jungle gym," Maou said harshly, fed up with Emi's verbal and physical abuse, "usually I'm stuck carrying annoying, redheaded, idiotic Heroes on my back, so having a good looking woman around was kind of new for me."

"You son of a-"

Emi swung at Maou, her hand clutching the alarm clock as she made to hit Maou right on the nose. Maou's eyes glowed red, and time seemed to slow for him. Without a hint of fear, Maou moved his head to the side and Emi's hand soared past it. What he didn't count on was the momentum of Emi's blow as it carried her right into Maou.

"Woah," Emi said as she stumbled, knocking into Maou, who was thrown against the wall.

The two of them collapsed, Emi on top of Maou as she cradled her hand, which was hurt after hitting the wall.

"Ow, ow ow ow, oh god ow," Emi whimpered as Maou blew her hair from his face. She was straddling him, but with his head in the way, she had no choice but to wrap her arms around his neck so she could look at her injured hand. Maou made to move, but Emi's voice was low and harsh when she spoke.

"Don't move…"

"What's wrong?"

"I think I broke my knuckles," Emi said quietly into Maou's shoulder as she tried to survey the damage.

The elevator dinged, and the doors swung open to reveal a hallway, in which stood an older couple. When the doors opened and they saw Maou and Emi as they were, they immediately turned and took the stairs. Emi paid no mind to them, and focused on untangling herself from Maou without hurting her hand any more than it was. It turned out she was right, the skin on her hand was bruised and torn, and two of her knuckles seemed disfigured by the force of the punch. The alarm clock had one bell had completely come free of the clock, while the glass face of the clock was broken. A few lines of blood dripped from Emi's hand onto the clock before she had worked up the nerve to relax her grip and drop it.

"Geez, were you trying to kill me," Maou asked, looking at the hand and reaching out to grab it.

Emi used her good hand to push Maou away, staring down at the wound with disdain, like it was an enemy she despised.

"Let me heal it for you," Maou said, still eyeing up the wound as it dripped blood onto the carpet.

"You can go home," Emi said, turning away and heading for her apartment, "I don't need a servant anymore."

"Well, seeing as I'm no longer your servant, shut the hell up and hold still," Maou said, gripping her wrist and stepping in close to her. Emi saw Maou dart in like a cobra, his red eyes glinting, and the next moment it felt like her hand was on fire. She grit her teeth and sucked in a breath as she felt the fire burn beneath her skin, but when she looked down, she saw the wounds were gone. Blood still covered her hand and dripped steadily onto the carpet of the hallway, but the pain was no longer there. Emi bent and picked up her alarm clock while Maou grabbed her bags and stubbornly insisted upon following her home.

Emi was still irate due to Maou's quip, but the tenacity with which he insisted upon healing Emi's wounds was not lost upon her as she turned the key to her door and flung it wide, leaving it open so Maou could carry in the third and final load of shopping as the moon rose in the sky. Maou carefully set the bags in Emi's room before looking for the woman herself and finding her in the kitchen. She was washing her hand and looking rather disquieted about something, which Maou thought was rather strange.

"Now what's your problem," Maou said, still prickly about Emi's treatment of him throughout the day.

"Nothing."

But something was clearly wrong as Maou watched her vigorously scrub the blood from her hands. It felt familiar, and Maou remembered that they had been in a similar position before, with Emi bleeding in the kitchen while Maou looked on, wondering what was wrong.

"Something is wrong," Maou said firmly, deciding to take a different route from the last time, "what is it?"

"Nothing is wrong. Get out of my house."

Another blatant lie was Emi's only response. She slammed the bottle of dish soap down onto the counter and turned to glare at Maou, who glared back, his eyes still glowing red in the fluorescent light of the kitchen.

"You're mad because of how Rika acted, and you're upset because of what I said in the elevator. I can sense that much… what I don't get is why I didn't feel anger like this radiating from you this morning, when we woke up together," Maou said, still looking intently at Emi, who stared back and said nothing.

"Something else I don't understand is why you seem to think its ok to hit me all the time. I may be a Demon King, but son of a bitch, when you wail on me with that alarm clock I feel it," Maou said, stepping up to where the clock sat on the counter and laying a hand upon it.

His frustration at the day's events seemed to boil over, and he gripped the clock so hard that the glass shattered, causing Emi to jump slightly. Maou took a deep breath and let his demon magic flow into the clock as it slowly pieced itself back together. Within seconds, the clock was in perfect shape, ticking away as if nothing happened.

"So what's your point, are you trying to intimidate me? It won't work," Emi said coolly, clenching her fists.

"No, I'm just trying to understand why you are always so rude and inhospitable towards me… but I guess I'll never know. I'm trying to figure out exactly what your feeling, because after we kissed I thought, 'Hey, maybe she won't be a complete and utter bitch all the time, maybe we can be friends seeing as we seemed to skip a few steps at the museum,' but no. You know what, Emi? If you hadn't pulled a knife on me that one night, if you had come at me in a peaceful manner, we could've been friends from the start. I'm willing to move past all this, and I get the feeling you are too."

As Maou spoke, he slowly worked his way along the counter until he was once more standing in front of Emi, towering over her with his red eyes glowing, an unreadable expression on his face. Emi didn't say anything, but her chest rose and fell rather rapidly as she scowled and listened to Maou's words. So she was a bitch, was she?

"Stop it," Maou said suddenly, "just stop. You're so focused on hating me that you don't see it's only hurting you. Think of how it's been affecting you; your entire life you've been alone, seeking revenge, and now you have a group of people around who are willing to die for you and you alienate half of them because we're demons! Think of Chiho, a human, the very thing that we demons have preyed upon for years, do you see me eating her? No! Does she want to kill me? No! We have managed to live in harmony, and I bet we will for some time. You are the only one who can get over this hateful persona you've created, but I think you need to really work on getting over it, and getting over yourself, cause this is bigger than you, me, Chiho, Ashiya, Urushihara and Suzuno, this is about the fate of my people. I'd put my life on the line for you, whatever the circumstance, but if you seek to discriminate against and destroy all demonkind, then I will have no choice but to end you, one way or another, for the good of my race."

The last line seemed to shock Emi to her very core, but Maou paid it no mind as he swooped down to put his lips upon Emi's cheek. She blushed but still scowled furiously as Maou turned to leave.

"Good night, Emi, text me with the details of our date and I'll be there."

And like that the Demon King made his exit, leaving the Hero to stand in the kitchen and think on his words, her fists trembling with rage while butterflies flew in circles around her navel.

"I'm home, Ashiya."

"M'lord, are you hurt, do you require nourishment?"

"No," Maou said as he stepped inside the dark room in the upper level of the six tatami apartment, "I'm alright, how have things been."

"Quiet, and rather peaceful, albeit Urushihara's constant jokes. How was the Hero? Did she give you much trouble, lord? "

"Of course, it's kind of her thing… that said, this is getting rather stale, Ashiya," Maou sighed as he stripped off his shirt and tucked himself into his makeshift bed on the floor.

"M'lord?"

"I just mean her constant struggle to try and see evil in a Demon King that's tired from working his fingers to the bone as often as he can to try and get by," Maou said, "it's like, give it a rest, I'm tired, sore and sick of your shit."

"Is such language necessary so late at night Demon King? I feel it will be detrimental to your rest if you stay awake fuming like this."

"You're right, Ashiya," Maou said, rolling over, "good night."

"Good night, my lord."

 **Ladies, gentleman, Heroes, Demons and whoever else reads this, I present to you the longest installation of this fanfiction to date: over 9000 words long! Now, after reading several reviews stating worry for poor Maou's mental health, I decided to not only return to the core of this story, but to make it a bit more lighthearted. What better way to do that than with a fun chapter about the Devil in servitude to the Hero. That reminds me, actually, everyone, Domestic Violence is bad. Sure, I write about it, but it's different for them, they are fictional characters. Do not abuse your loved ones, it's not ok. Also, seeing as this chapter is 9000+ words long, several things happen, Maou and Emi go out to eat, they go clothes shopping, and they run into Rika, the master of the shipping! I swear, Rika Suzuki is a fanfiction writer at heart! Also, we see some crazy shit going down here in the MaouXEmi department, ending with a caring word and a peck on the cheek from the Devil to the Hero, who seems unsure about her own feelings. For those who were wondering, no, they did not do the nasty as they shared a bed, they literally just slept in the same bed... and cuddled... I swear that's it.**

 **Anyway, to the song portion of our fanfiction update...**

 **In My Head - Steve James ft. RKCB**

 **Alps - Novo Amor and Ed Tullett**

 **Stall Me - Panic! At the Disco**

 **Like Real People Do - Hozier**

 **Drugs - EDEN**

 **And finally, a song about domestic violence, as it ties in and is rather dear to me at the moment...**

 **Cherry Wine - Hozier**

 **Thanks for reading! And as per usual, even if you hated this chapter, give the music I posted a listen!**

 **IN RESPONSE TO A REVIEW, THIS FIC IS NOT DONE! Sorry for any confusion, I will let you know when it's done, there will be an epilogue!**


	18. The Devil and the Hero: The Date

"What I'm trying to say is that… I love you, Emi," Maou was saying, blushing furiously as he avoided the Hero's emerald gaze.

They were sitting across from each other, in a fancy restaurant, their food uneaten in front of them. Emi stared at the Devil as if he'd just pronounced he liked to sacrifice virgins in his leisure time. Maou chanced a peek at Emi, who was still staring intently at him, her fork hovering over a fine, lavished plate of salad that probably cost a fortune. Maou pulled at the violet silk tie about his neck as he felt his face burn. He couldn't believe it; he'd just confessed his feelings to Emi, a woman that had tried to kill him a little over a week ago. Emi, also known as Emilia the Hero, was the greatest threat posed to the Devil, also known as Satan Jacob and Sadao Maou. Unbeknownst to her, she was also the object of his affections, and had nearly caused him to lose his mind. She'd affected his heart, his home, and his work; she'd been woven through his dreams and she was on his mind first thing in the morning when he woke up each day. Yes, the Hero meant quite a lot to her adversary, and her magenta hair and bright green eyes seemed to preoccupy much of his brainpower nowadays. So when the Devil confessed his love, when he put his neck on the line and waited for the axe to fall upon him, he couldn't help but shiver in his seat. Perhaps it was his new suit, which he found rather heavy and restraining, but the heat he felt seemed to flood from his face and spread throughout his being in hot flashes that left him uncomfortable, and still the Hero stared.

The suspense was palpable, but Maou steeled himself. He'd made up his mind, one way or another, this had to be done. It was either his people or her, and he knew he couldn't have both. As soon as he'd confessed, he knew that this was the point of no return, and he knew what he would choose if given an ultimatum… or did he? His people were obviously important, but didn't he deserve happiness? Selfish as the notion was, he'd done everything he had up until that point so as to return to Ente Isla and finish his conquest. But now, if given the choice, if the Hero were to miraculously reciprocate his attraction, he felt tempted to simply call it quits. He subconsciously found himself planning it: his throne and his crown would go to Alciel, who was an excellent tactician and ruler, and Lucifer could act as muscle while the new Demon King assembled a new council to act as his Generals, and Maou could relax into an advisory position, locked away in a castle with no one except the woman of his desires….

"Hehe ahehahehahahHAHAHAAAAA AAAAHAHAHAHAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Maou looked up, and to his surprise, he found Emi was laughing. It was far from a normal laugh though, it was throaty and malicious, and at the cusp of her mirth, she began to point at Maou, shaking her head and cackling like a banshee. Maou looked around, his eyes wide with fear as everyone watched. All were people of refined tastes, covered in jewels, dresses, suits and other fancy trappings of a wealthy lifestyle, and there was Emi, standing across from him, heaving with laughter as she made her thoughts on Maou's feelings known.

And to the Devil's horror, other people began to laugh. It began as a small chuckle here and there, but soon everyone was laughing unkindly, but Emi's own laughter was still far louder and more obnoxious than theirs.

"The Devil, in love with me? You should go and jump in a river, Maou! You'll never leave this world and you'll never amount to anything! I'm going back to Ente Isla to tell the Demon Army what a joke you are now. They'll be swept away like wheat before my Holy Sword after I tell them about your betrayal," Emi hollered through her contemptuous cackling.

Maou stood, and with no other options left, he decided to run, but where would he go, what would he do? Ashiya would hate him forever! Even as he ran, out onto the street and away from the restaurant, he felt himself being pulled backwards, through the doors of the restaurant by a pressure that beat against him harder and harder the more he struggled against it. Finally, Maou realized what was going on, and with a gasp he woke as the doors to the establishment slammed shut on him, locking him inside with Emi.

"Good morning, my lord, I wasn't expecting you up so early. Would you like breakfast?"

No answer came from Maou, but from within the depths of the closet, a muffled voice was heard.

"I'd love some!"

"Then make it yourself," Ashiya coldly said to the inhabitant of the closet, which sighed and resumed it's quiet, uninterruptive occupancy.

"No, thanks Ashiya," Maou said finally, coming out of his stupor.

"King Satan, are you feeling well?"

"What? Do I look sick," Maou asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Well… sort of."

"Hmm."

Not bothering to think of the consequences, Maou flicked his wrist and the faucet of the sink began to shoot out water. A snap of his fingers and a malevolent glow in his eyes caused the water to freeze into a flat, reflective surface. Ashiya pursed his lips at the sight of his King's seemingly unneeded use of magic as the plate of mirror-like ice floated over Maou's head, the Devil surveying himself, and lying back against his pillows.

The more Maou's eyes roamed his human face, the more Maou felt like something was amiss. But what was it? Whatever it was eluded him, but he understood why Ashiya might think he was sick. Using the magic he'd gained over the last week and a half, Maou channeled it directly into his body, which was suffused with warmth. Maou's reflection blushed as the blood rushed to his face and his eyes lit up as the magic washed away his sleepiness. By all rights, he was in tiptop condition, and perfectly poised to take over the world through his eventual rise to power via the MgRonalds food chain. So why did he still feel like rolling over, pulling up the covers and ignoring everything and everyone? Why did sleeping the day away sound like the best option? He had an entire world to subjugate and enslave with french fries and Double Cheeseburger combos, how was he supposed to work and make a living if he couldn't get up?

"Sire, seeing as it is your day off, I'd like you to run a few errands," Ashiya said, pouring a cup of hot tea to go with Maou's slowly chilling breakfast.

'That's right,' Maou thought, 'I have the weekend off. Maybe it won't be such a bad day.'

Then the Devil froze, and yesterday's events sucker punched him, much like the Hero herself would've.

"ASHIYA!"

A thump was heard as Maou sprang to his feet, but only managed to bash his toes upon the coffee table. Ashiya turned to find Maou laying upon the floor, cupping his foot in both hands and moaning.

"King Satan? Why are you so worried, you don't have to go to work today… do you?"

"No, Ashiya, but there is something…. Something far worse than work. Ashiya, yesterday, while I was serving Emilia-"

The thought of his liege playing the Hero's servant caused Ashiya to scowl, but Maou continued as if nothing had happened.

"-we sort of ran into Rika."

"Rika," Ashiya asked sharply, his angry demeanor fading rather quickly.

"Yes, and she- what's with that slack jawed look on your face? Hey, Ashiya, are you listening?"

"Hmm, oh, yes, of course sire, I was just thinking," Ashiya said, putting aside his thoughts of Rika Suzuki for a different time.

"Anyway, we ran into Rika and… I was sort of wrangled into a meeting."

"A meeting," Ashiya asked quickly, raising an eyebrow at the Devil's unwillingness to meet his gaze.

"A… that is to say, I had no choice in the matter, Alciel, you must understand-"

"What are you trying to tell me, my King?"

Ashiya's tone was rather rigid, and for a moment he thought that the budget was about to be submitted to another crippling expenditure, but Maou looked at Ashiya with his tear filled eyes and carefully stood once more, trying to keep less pressure on his injured leg.

"Ashiya, I have a date today."

"With whom, sire?"

"With Emi," Maou admitted, staring at the floor between his feet and waiting for Ashiya to explode.

"Isn't that good news, King Satan?"

Maou looked up to see Ashiya smiling quizzically at him. There was no anger in his being, no murderous intent, no squabbling over the finances and no angry beratings… was Maou missing something?

"G-good news? Alciel, aren't you concerned about the budget? Or my safety," Maou prompted, feeling more and more uneasy the longer Ashiya stared at him with his smirk and his raised eyebrow.

"Isn't this what you have been working for, sire? Isn't this exactly what you wanted from Emilia? Were you not just saying that you wanted to get the Hero to see reason and join forces?"

"Well yes, but the things is we are both unwilling participants, Ashiya! My life is in jeopardy," Maou said, unsure if Ashiya had correctly processed what Maou had told him.

"Oh, making things official, huh," Urushihara said, sidling out of the closet like a sack of potatoes and sauntering up to Maou, "you and Emi, together forever?"

"Kindly do not give Urushihara any supper, Alciel," Maou said with a sick smile, turning to look at the fallen angel with glowing red eyes.

Lucifer blanched and took a step back as if he'd just been shot through the heart. His face was twisted into an expression of pure horror as he clenched his fists and his eyes teared up.

"You can't do that," he complained noisily, "I haven't eaten since yesterday and I barely get any food as it is! I'll starve!"

"I do suggest you consider changing his punishment," Ashiya advised, now washing and drying the dishes before carefully placing them in the cupboard, "if you don't he'll jabber on like that all day."

"Fine, he can eat," Maou said, before smiling evilly once again, "however, you are to take his laptop from him for the day, and he will help around the Castle as you see fit, Ashiya."

The tall blonde demon smiled, his demonic powers flowing out of him like a sulfurous black cloud as his eyes glowed.

"Of course, I think he can vacuum and do the laundry to start with," Ashiya said, fixing Urushihara with a cold stare to match Maou's, "and we'll see how it goes from there. Oh, and if you perform poorly, or slack in any way, I'll petition our Lord for an extension of your punishment."

"You know what, guys, food is overrated, I'll just take my computer and hide in my closet and not make any noise! I promise, I'll-"

Maou clicked his fingers, and Urushihara's stomach dropped. With a slow, meaningful pull, he opened the closet door and found it exactly as it was… but the laptop was gone. He turned to Maou and found the device hovering in an orb of crimson and black power over the Demon King's hand.

"If I receive a satisfactory report from Ashiya when I return from this date, I will give you the laptop back," Maou said simply, closing his hand into a fist as the orb of demon magic, and the laptop, vanished into nothing.

"Well then, it seems I'll have to dip into my emergency fund once more," Ashiya said, "where is this date at? What's the occasion?"

"I'm still waiting for a-"

Almost perfectly on cue, Maou's old flip-phone went off and he opened it, his eyes quickly scanning a few lines of text before he smiled lamely and showed the screen to Ashiya, who quickly went pale in the face before seizing up and collapsing. Urushihara stuck his head out of the closet, and upon seeing Ashiya prone upon the floor he leapt out and began to beat on Ashiya's chest.

"Wake up, dammit," Urushihara shouted, "you have to cook for me! I can't work a stove, and Maou uses to much seasoning!"

"He's not dead, he's in shock… and there's the headache," Maou said, feeling absolutely floored. It turned out that the restaurant was not just any restaurant. It was as if his dream were becoming a reality, for the date, which Rika had proposed, would be taking place in the most upscale restaurant on the Tokyo's east side. The Hakushu Teppanyaki was famous for its underground following, and its incredible Kobe Steak. It was also extremely classy, incredibly fancy and most assuredly inaccessible without reservations… unless you were friends with Rika Suzuki, it seemed.

"I'm not sure the budget can survive this one," Ashiya said melodramatically, "so long cruel world, it's been a pain dealing with you."

"C'mon Ashiya, what about the 'preventing the Demon Lord from looking like a transient bum' fund?"

"That was only available because we managed to capitalize on the prolonged tracker return policy. That reserve is empty!"

Maou's phone went off again and he read it aloud for his assembled generals.

"p.s., the dinner is pro bono because Rika called in a favor, just dress nice, and bring a tip with for Rika because she's amazing."

"I'll second that," Ashiya said, wiping the sweat from his forehead as Maou and Urushihara helped him to his feet.

"Amazing," Maou remarked, "as soon as the budget is safe he's cool as a cucumber."

"It's my job to make sure the coffers are full, and the bills are paid."

"I don't remember you being so money smart in Ente Isla!"

"That's because money was not nearly as tight when we had the world in our hands," Ashiya scolded before opening one of the drawers in which he kept emergency money stashed.

"How much do we have to work with," Maou asked, "and remember: Rika's tip comes first, otherwise Emi will end me at the restaurant!"

"I've taken that into account… and the leftover thirty thousand yen can be used for a cheap suit. I won't have you-"

"Looking like a transient bum," Maou asked.

"I wasn't going to say that," Ashiya said quickly.

"Suuuuure," Urushihara teased.

"Silence, welp," Alciel said, his power making Lucifer turn white, "don't you have chores to do?!"

"Yessir!"

The rest of the day passed quickly for Maou, as he and Ashiya went about the nearby market districts of Tokyo, searching for a good suit. Unfortunately, many secondhand stores were well under the range of three hundred thousand yen, but the suits were either too big or too small. It was only after finding an actual suit and tuxedo outlet that they found a suitable style for Maou. It was, as the gentleman who'd attended to Maou and Ashiya had called it, a 'slim-fit' suit, more common with younger men such as Maou.

"It's an excellent suit," Ashiya said, rubbing his chin, "but I'm afraid that color is most definitely not your style, my lord. Do you have any in black?"

They were lead to the back, where they kept several different variants of the suits, but still packaged and clean. Maou and Ashiya listened to the salesman jammer on about the suit, but what caught Maou's eye was the suit itself. It was black, cut fine so as to accentuate a man's slim features, and it came with… a purple tie?

'What the hell,' Maou thought, thinking about his dream as Emi's vivacious laugh echoed in his head, 'this suit is the same one from my dream!'

"Is there something wrong sir," the employee asked casually looking at Maou's slack jawed face, "there are different colors available, though they will include price increases."

"We'll take the charcoal," Ashiya said quickly, not giving Maou time for a rebuttal as fate became reality.

At the checkout, Maou followed Ashiya awkwardly as he often did, because Ashiya was in charge of the finances of Castle Overlord, with or without Maou's permission.

"Ashiya," Maou said casually, "how would you feel if I told you that suit were the sole destruction of our future here in Japan?"

"Well, I'd be excited for us, of course, sire," the blonde demon sighed as he counted through several paper bills.

"Why?"

"Because I'd take that to mean we were headed back to Ente Isla."

"No, what if it were the end of us all," Maou asked dramatically, "what if that suit and purple tie were to derail our futures cataclysmically? How would you react?"

"Well, if I may be frank, I don't think a suit could cause any such mayhem, and besides, the tie was free. I'd be hard pressed to turn down something quite this foolproof."

"Your total will be twenty seven thousand, five hundred yen," the young male cashier said in a rather monotone voice.

"Oooh, did you hear that? You'll have extra money for the tip," Ashiya blathered excitedly while Maou tried to prepare himself for doomsday.

"And how much will this tip be, exactly," Maou asked, his unsureness putting a crack in his voice.

"About twelve thousand, five hundred yen."

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME," Maou hollered, his voice echoing through the posh men's clothing store.

Maou returned to his home and frowned at himself in the mirror as Ashiya tightened his tie and brushed the dust from the shoulders of his sleek black suit. It wasn't a bad look, but the feeling of impending doom made Maou rather unhappy about the entire thing, his date with Emi included. The thought of the redhead made his skin tingle and his heart race. From the depths of his soul, Maou felt the Devil within sigh happily as he slumbered, the thought of Emi making the little demon rest peacefully.

"Hrgh!"

Maou gripped his chest and furrowed his brow, his teeth bared as sweat dotted his forehead. He fell forward against Ashiya, and the blonde demon caught him with surprising strength.

"Huh, what's wrong with Maou," Lucifer said, a do rag over his head to prevent his dark purple hair from falling into his face.

Castle Overlord, as strange fate would have it, was immaculate. The dirty clothes were in the hamper, ready to be dried in a moment's notice. The counter had been wiped down and sterilized so thoroughly you could deliver a baby on it, not that you'd want to. The carpet had been vacuumed not once, not twice, but three times, and the miscellaneous garbage that usually fell from the closet had been picked up, and it was all thanks to Urushihara, who made a home surprisingly well. The do rag and apron seemed only natural to the NEET, especially now that his way of living had been thrown into question. He was not going to lose that computer, as it was his only reason for living. Well, maybe not his only reason….

"I'm fine," Maou uttered, his breath shallow and quick as he sought to regain control of his fragile human body. Looking at the mirror, he noticed his eyes were glowing rather magnificently in the dim light of the apartment. The day outside was fading quickly, thanks to the thick layer of grey clouds. As soon as his fit had passed, however, the sun had once more reemerged, setting as it was behind its silvery mask.

"My Lord, are you sure you're well," Ashiya asked quickly, gently but firmly pushing Maou toward one of the pillows on the floor so as to give him a seat.

"Better than ever," Maou lied, smiling as the light flooded his face and made him appear more gravely ill than ever.

Knowing that Maou was unlikely to admit any fault or injury, Ashiya continued as if nothing happened while Urushihara stared rather stupidly.

"Well then, are you prepared for the trip, my lord," the second in command asked, looking Maou up and down as the Demon King stared at his own reflection.

"As ready as I'll ever be. I should bring a handkerchief to wipe the sweat off of my forehead, seeing as I'll have to walk," Maou said, looking at how his forehead was already misty.

"Excellent idea, however…."

Honk hoonk!

Maou quickly turned his head away from the mirror and stalked over to the window, where a taxi driver was sitting patiently, looking left and right as if thugs and undesirables would peel from the woodwork at any moment.

"You called a taxi," Maou asked incredulously, frowning as Ashiya smirked.

"Ten thousand yen will be a fine tip for Rika," he said happily as Maou laid an approving hand upon his shoulder.

"Thanks, Ashiya."

Before Ashiya could accept the praise, however, a cooking alarm rang and suddenly Lucifer was ushering Maou out of the apartment. Apparently, he was also undertaking the task of timekeeper, and so Maou was ushered down the steps with his foreboding suit and tie, and twelve thousand five hundred yen, one fifth of which would be going to his taxi ride of doom, for that is what the date spelled to the Devil.

When the taxi pulled up by the restaurant, Maou was quickly pulled from his thoughts by the driver clearing his throat. Maou handed the driver his money and stepped out of the car, feeling rather out of place as men and women with fancy cars looked at him with small smirks. Then his eyes fell upon the great, fancy double doors, and the restaurant itself. Maou leaned down and held the door of the taxi for support.

"Are you sure this is the right place," Maou asked, gazing at the brightly lit displays in the restaurant windows and the eerily familiar layout of the place.

"You asked for the Hakushu Teppanyaki, right," the driver asked, pointing out the large, fancy writing over the double doors.

"Uh, yeah… thanks again, man."

"Maou, I'm glad you made it," Rika called, her arms full of dishes, "let me take these to their tables and I'll be with you in a sec."

Maou nodded absently, taking in the bright lights, the high ceiling with intricately carved figures that he could've stared at for hours, and the exotic plants.

"It's the same," Maou whispered.

Everything, from the paintings upon the walls to the nameless faces around him, were exactly as they'd been in his dream. Maou had never been one to boast of his incredible powers, albeit in the presence of a few chose enemies, and of these powers, he hadn't ever claimed clairvoyance to be among them. He'd had déjà vu before, but this was different. Every single detail was so markedly identical that Maou found himself wondering if he wasn't still asleep. Closing his eyes he took a deep breath and held it. If it were a dream, he would hardly have needed to draw breath, right?

No such luck, for after only about forty five seconds, Maou exhaled, and his body whirled to try and keep up with his lack of oxygen.

"Alright Maou, Emi is already here," Rika said, appearing behind Maou and making him jump.

"Geez, don't sneak up on me Like that!"

"Sorry," Rika laughed, "I'm just kinda excited. I get to play matchmaker! When you two are five years older and married with children you'll be sure to thank me, right?"

"Uh, ye-yeah, sure, why not," Maou agreed, figuring that Rika didn't need to feel the same sense of ill fate that he did.

"Anyway, you may wanna start off by apologizing to her for being late, and maybe complimenting her on something simple, like her dress or her hair," Rika muttered to Maou quickly as she laid a hand upon his elbow and guided him across the large floor.

"Ok, but-"

"No time, good luck!"

With a shove, Rika pushed Maou through a thicket of what seemed to be a wedding after party, and suddenly Maou's heart was aflutter. Emi was looking resplendent in a classy salmon dress with an open back, a low v-cut chest and a diagonal hem so that one side hung by her ankle and the other side ended at her knee. On her feet she wore matching heels and her hair, which was usually left alone with a single braid, was now in a large bun. Her face was framed with locks of magenta hair and her braid was wrapped around the bun in a spiral, held in place by a fancy butterfly clip.

"Finally decided to show up, then," Emi asked, her elbow on the table and her palm in her hand as she crossed her legs and kicked a foot agitatedly.

"You look really pretty," Maou blurted out, his head suddenly blank as he stared at the angry red headed Hero.

"I-it was nothing…not that I dressed up for you, I didn't want to embarrass Rika," Emi said lamely, her cold demeanor broken in a heartbeat thanks to Maou's bluntness.

"Yeah, me too. She seems more excited than both of us put together," Maou said, jerking a thumb over his shoulder at the figure of Rika, who quickly turned away and asked a customer how they were enjoying their dinner.

Emi snorted, "Yeah, I suppose she gave you that stupid line, too."

The Hero had hardly moved, but in a single moment, Maou suddenly found her more approachable than before. She smiled at him like they were sharing a private joke, and the kicks of her foot became less quick and more soft and rhythmic.

"Nope, that was all me," Maou said, taking a seat and looking around, his sense of reality being affected by his strange dream.

"Now that I think about it, that makes sense. Rika actually knows how to compliment a woman," Emi said, "oh and I almost forgot, you left this at my house."

With a small metallic ringing noise that made Maou cringe, Emi put the alarm clock, or Bane of the Demon King, as she called it, upon the table. Her face flushed with embarrassment, but she couldn't help but chuckle at the Demon King's reaction.

"Why did you bring that here?"

"I wanted you to have it," Emi said, sliding the clock towards Maou and inwardly laughing at the way he leaned away from it, "I thought about what you said to me last night… and I realize that I haven't really considered the human aspect of your existence. Sure, you're weaker and easier to kill, but I haven't stopped to think 'gee, he probably feels a lot more pain now that he's in the body of human.' So now, I can't use the Bane on you anymore. It's yours."

"I don't want your clock, Emi."

"I was trying to be nice," she retorted, crossing her arms and frowning.

"I know, and I appreciate it, but if you want to show you care maybe we could just… I don't know, get in touch and discuss our plans for the future," Maou said.

"I'll give you one chance to clarify what you mean by that, and if I don't like what you say I swear I will end this date-"

"I didn't mean it like that," Maou said, holding up his hands in surrender, "I just-"

"Menus! I've got menus for you guys," Rika said, having noticed the way their talk had turned south the moment Emi had crossed her arms.

"Oh thank goodness," Emi said, her contempt fading like the clouds before a hot summer sun "I'm so hungry! Thanks, Rika."

"No problem, hun. And here's yours, Maou," Rika said, giving him a small wink and waiting dutifully as they peered through the menu.

Maou saw a list of strange food choices, but the best seemed to be a Kobe Steak, which was lathered with a 'special sauce' and also came topped with onions, mushrooms, peppers. When he saw the price, however, Maou almost swore. He took a peek at Emi from over his own menu and to his surprise found she was calm and cool as she smiled up at Rika and ordered politely.

"Could I get the Kobe steak and a bottle of wine," Emi asked sweetly.

Again, Maou looked at Emi as if she were crazy. Wine would not cause Emi to get blackout drunk, but it would definitely impair her senses… did this mean she was putting a little trust in him? Was she willing to let her senses be dulled around the Devil, or was this some kind of test? He'd never really tasted any alcohol from this world, as he found it severely impaired his senses and was usually somewhat expensive.

"Uh, I'll have the Kobe steak, too," Maou said, handing the menu back to Rika.

"Ok, sure thing guys," Rika said, scribbling on the order book and expertly maneuvering her way into the back, where the smell of searing meats and frying vegetables gently worked their way through the bright atmosphere.

"Big spender, huh," Emi asked, "you know I'm not the one paying for your food, right? Rika is covering you check, so you'd better thank her on your hands and knees for her generosity when the night is done."

"Now who's the one saying weird stuff," Maou retorted.

"About that," Emi said, looking at Maou and waiting for an explanation for his earlier comment.

Gathering himself and trying to think of the best way to explain what he'd meant earlier, he checked and re-checked every line and made sure that Emi couldn't take offense to what he was going to say.

"What I meant to say before was that we should collaborate. Imagine it, Emi! The Hero and the Devil, working on a united front to try and make Ente Isla a better place. I can understand if you said no, or needed time to think, but it doesn't take a genius to realize that we are the representatives of our respective races. You for the humans, and me for the Demons."

Emi looked like she was about to reply when a waiter showed up with Emi's preferred bottle of wine and poured her a glass. She nodded in thanks and waited until the busboy was gone before answering.

"Maou, you know it's not that simple. Yes, we will be working on the same field, but chances are it'll be from opposite sides of the board. The people of Ente Isla won't simply forget all that you've done to them," Emi said, punctuating her statement by taking a large gulp from her wine glass.

"We've been over this, time and again," Maou countered, "I don't plan on being around for the reshaping of the world."

"And I've told you, 'time and again,'" Emi said, using her fingers as quotation marks, "that I won't let that happen. Guilty or not you can't just run away from your actions. If you really wanted to help, you'd atone by making Ente Isla a better place."

Once more, Emi grabbed the wine glass and downed the other half in a few gulps, Maou looking on with a surprised expression. It seemed Emi was a little on edge herself. Where was Rika to distract her crazy, half-angel best friend? Maou looked around but it seemed that Rika Suzuki had vanished from the restaurant.

"You're right," Maou conceded, figuring it was best to not get into it with Emi in her current state.

"Damn skippy, I'm right," Emi said, bright red patches appearing on her cheeks, "and you know what, Maou? I still owe you for kissing me yesterday."

"I was hoping you'd forgotten about that," Maou said truthfully. Somehow, he thought the shock of it might cause short term temporary amnesia… no such luck, it seemed.

"Oh, I haven't. I laid awake fuming for hours after you left, which is what you wanted, I'm sure. I'll have you know that I didn't lose any sleep, though, I only woke up a few hours ago."

"Emi, it's eight forty five… did you sleep the entire day," Maou asked concernedly.

"That's neither here nor there," she replied, waving away the question in a casual manner.

"Sorry for the wait, guys," Rika said, appearing from out of nowhere, two large trays of food in her hands, "here you go! Two Kobe steaks with extra secret sauce!"

"Hey Rika, what makes the secret sauce so secret," Emi asked, her words slightly slurred.

"Well, I guess it's a secret family recipe, but I know it has homemade soy sauce, honey, jalapeno oil and a bunch of saké," Rika said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"There's saké in the steak sauce," Maou asked with incredulity as the sound of a knife scraping a ceramic plate was heard from across the table. By the time he'd turned to look at Emi, her jaws had already clamped down upon a large hunk of double-dipped, medium rare, authentic Kobe steak.

"Hmpphh," Emi asked through her mouthful, frowning at Maou and Rika as they both watched her carefully.

'If Emi drinks too much and I have to cut her off, she might get angry and cut me with the Holy Sword, witnesses or no,' Maou thought wildly.

"It's ok, the steak will soak up a lot of the alcohol, provided she… chews her food," Rika finished half-heartedly as Emi swallowed the bite whole and thumped her chest. The Hero followed with a large splash of wine down her gullet before she once more turned her glazed eyes to Maou and Rika.

"What's up with you guys," Emi asked, "you both looked so weirded out for a second that you might've been twins."

Emi swayed a little in her chair before holding the edge of the table to steady herself, giggling as the world began to wobble in and out of focus. She smiled wide at Rika and Maou, and suddenly they both knew that this was not going to be an easy night.

"Emi, dear, how much wine have you had," Rika asked, reaching towards the bottle that was now more than half empty.

"Not nearly enough," Emi pouted, grabbing the bottle and hugging it tightly to keep it from her friend, "and while you're not doing anything, could I get some extra secret sauce?"

"Uuh," Rika stammered, her eyes flickering to Maou.

"Uh, yeah, could I get some too, Rika," Maou asked, his red eyes glowing slightly as he nudged Rika's will with his own.

"Sure thing!"

Once more she bounced back to the kitchens, humming all the while. Maou turned to find Emi staring at him angrily, though she seemed to have a hard time of it from over her wine glass. Finally she set it down and poured another glassful, smacking her lips and looking as if she were searching for the right words to say.

"I saw that," Emi hissed, "how dare you use your powers on Rika?"

"I didn't," Maou said truthfully, "I simply siphoned out her fear of you doing something stupid. Remember, this night is primarily for her benefit: ergo, if I can get you home safely and give Rika this ten thousand yen tip in my pocket without making a scene, then I'll call it a complete success."

"So you expect me to believe you actually care about Rika's feelings," Emi asked, swirling the wine in her glass as she eyed it carefully, "tell me Maou… do you have a crush on Rika?"

"Wha- NO! Of course not! Not that-er, I mean, she's not unattractive or anything-"

Even with Maou changing tack and trying to gauge Emi's mood, everything he said seemed to make her more livid.

"Good, because Rika is the most beautiful and caring girl in the world and you'd be lucky to have her, not that you ever could with me around," Emi said, her anger fading as Maou once more made use of his ability to turn emotion into raw demonic power.

'This is gonna be one hell of a night,' Maou thought as a different busboy from earlier arrived with another bottle, this time of a fine amber liquid in a clear decanter. The busboy wore fine white gloves and the standard red vest over a white shirt and black pants. His messy, overlong black hair hung in curtains about his shoulders.

"Tonight's special was the Kobe steak dinner, and seeing as you both ordered it, your eligible for a complimentary bottle of our own single malt whiskey, distilled in house and crafted by our own staff, it was specifically designed to be paired with this meal. May I," the busboy asked quietly, looking equal parts pompous and polite as he stared at Emi with cold, dark eyes.

"Uh-um, I mean ye-"

"No," Maou said suddenly, "allow me."

He stood from his chair and took the bottle, pouring only a couple mouthfuls into Emi's wine glass… and filling his own more than halfway.

"Goodness," the busboy said, "this must be a special occasion. Are you two to be married, perchance?"

"No," Maou said, before Emi shushed him and grabbed his hands in her own. With a glance, Maou verified that she had drunk the whiskey he'd poured her.

"Not yet, anyway," Emi said, her eyes glittering, "he hasn't asked my parents for permission, but it just feels so right."

"Ah, I see," the busboy said, his dark eyes narrowing as he withdrew into the kitchens. On his way in, Rika burst out, carrying three plates on one arm and a couple of small dishes in the other. With expert skill, she placed the small dishes of sake steak sauce onto Maou and Emi's table.

"Sorry, can't talk," she said quickly, "business is picking up!"

Without further ado, Maou and Emi began to tear through their steaks, as they had not eaten so as to save room for dinner together. Maou found that he didn't really mind being around Emi when she was tipsy. She smiled often, started small talk of her own free will, and was actually quite charming, especially when she would smile randomly, as if thinking of a funny joke out of nowhere. Maou, thinking that things were going rather smoothly, decided that it'd be best if he drank as much of the whiskey as possible, and simply use his demonic magic to lessen the extent of the alcohols affects. So, naturally, three whiskeys later, he'd forgotten all about magic and was feeling quite mellow in the cheery atmosphere.

"Hey, look at that lady," Emi slurred suddenly, "she looks like she's got a landfill stuck under her nose."

Maou turned, and he nearly burst out laughing, for a woman sitting only a few tables away was indeed frowning quite furiously.

"Emi," Maou choked, thumping his chest, "that's terrible."

Emi shook with silent laughter before replicating the woman's sour look, causing Maou to guffaw loudly as they both fought the urge to laugh like lunatics in a fine establishment. A few minutes passed before they were able to calm down, though the whiskey didn't help. Maou stood a little haphazardly before announcing that he had to pee, which only caused Emi to fall into another fit of giggles as Maou made his way to the men's room .After his business in the fairly basic restroom had concluded, Maou made to return to the restaurant, but to his shock, he found he'd accidentally wandered into the wrong part of the large, old building. This part was more dimly lit, with smooth, easy music playing, and a more relaxed crowd. Maou was about to turn and leave back the way he came when a loud cry echoed through the place.

"MAAAAAA," the voice called, and in an instant, the Devil knew exactly who it was.

"Ms. Kisaki," Maou asked, turning to find her leaning against the bar.

Maou's boss and the manager of the Hatagaya MgRonalds, Mayumi Kisaki, was leaning on the edge of her barstool, looking rather ravishing in a sparkly navy dress that fell above her knees and outlined her voluptuous figure. Her hair, which was usually tied in a quick ponytail flung carelessly over her shoulder, was now up in a magnificent, sleek black bun that rivaled Emi's. She had in dangly blue earrings and for shoes she wore fine black heels. Altogether, she could've been attending a ball or a gala, so why was she in the bar attached to a fancy restaurant?

"Maaa, come sit by me," she said, waving Maou over. Figuring he had little choice, he approached the bar, but before he was within ten feet of his boss, the smell of hard liquor wafted from her like a cloud. That was saying something, considering Maou was pretty saturated at that point.

"Ms. Kisaki, it's nice to see you here," Maou said, clearing his throat and trying to look professional as possible.

"Good try," Kisaki said, looking Maou up and down, "but your fly is down and I can smell the alcohol on your breath. House special? Hey, barkeep, could I get a round of shots for me and my friend, here?"

Maou watched with a strange sense of detachment as his boss downed a shot of single malt whiskey, not even flinching at the after burn. She turned to see Maou staring rather blatantly, and she raised an eyebrow.

"You better drink that before I do," she said, nodding to the shot glass in front of Maou.

"Sure thing, Ms. Kisaki!"

Maou downed his own shot, managing to stifle his disgust as it burned its way down his esophagus. It felt weird, to say the least, having his coworker and boss tell him to drink.

'Emi might start to worry,' Maou thought, smiling at the thought of the red haired woman.

"Hey Maaa," Kisaki said thoughtfully, putting her elbow on the bar and swiveling to look at Maou, "you wanna know something pretty cool?"

"Uh, sure, Ms. Kisa-"

"SHHH," Kisaki said, holding a finger to Maou's lips, "just… call me Mayumi, ok?"

"Ok… Mayumi," Maou said, tasting the strangeness of the word.

"God, it's weird to hear you say that," she muttered before motioning for another drink, this time just a sipping glass of the house whiskey, neat.

She sipped at it for a few moments before putting it down and clearing her throat.

"Ok, back to what I was saying, Maou. The cool thing is that you and I are surprisingly similar. I don't know why, but I feel like you could be the little sister I never asked for, trapped in a good-looking twenty-somethings body. I mean, at the end of the day, the two of us pretty much run the show at our MgRonalds. Hell, I've seen you at your finest, you can run the register, work the drive through, and make the orders, all at the same time! And to be honest, you seem to have a lot of experience managing people. That's why I made you the shift manager, you know."

"I do have a little experience managing people," Maou said, thinking back to his campaign to take over the world of Ente Isla.

They sat in silence for a moment before Maou's dulled senses got the better of him as he decided to ask what was wrong.

"So, Mayumi, what is it that brings you here? Just shooting the breeze or what?"

"Hahaha, you're so ridiculous, Maaa. You really think I just go out and binge drink all weekend? No, I'm here because this will be the…"

She took a moment to look contemplative.

"…sixth date that I've been on that has stood me up. I meet a great guy online, I tell him about myself and my no bullshit policy and then poof, here I am in my going out shoes and my sexy dress, drinking alone at the bar."

"No bullshit policy," Maou asked, curiously.

"Believe it or not, Maou, I'm twenty six. Most people my age are getting married, and having kids… I want that. I want to find someone and settle down; get away from all the business and sales and charts and burgers… oh good lord, the burgers," she said, putting her face in her hand before sitting up once more and continuing.

"But on the other hand, money makes the world go around, and you know me, Maou. The Demon of Sales is what they call me at corporate. I'm greedy and I'm ambitious. I have big dreams, and kids… they just aren't conducive to success. It's like… two sides of me are at war and they just… ugh, it's infuriating," Kisaki sighed, laying her head down on the bar.

"I think I know where you're coming from," Maou said, his head incredibly heavy as he spoke, "it's like you have what's expected of you, and then you have what you want and they're just going to town on your life… leaving you caught in the crossfire."

Kisaki turned to look at Maou. She was clearly very drunk by the time Maou had shown up, but now…

"That's exactly right," she said, "you and I think exactly alike… I can definitely see why Chiho is so infatuated with you."

"Wha-you mean-you know about that," Maou squeaked.

"Yeah… it's kinda hard not to notice. You know… it may be weird but… you look really good in that suit," Kisaki said, holding onto the front of Maou's sports jacket for support, "and your eyes…."

Maou could feel Kisaki's breath on his face as she leaned in dangerously close. He braced himself for impact, sure that Kisaki's lips would meet his own. A strange buzzing at the back of his head alerted him that something was off, but it took his slow brain a few moments before he realized what it was. His demonic powers were causing heightened emotional pulls, and as such, Kisaki was suddenly convinced kissing him was a good idea. Focusing with all his might, Maou willed the power to fade, and once the affects had dissipated, he put a hand on Kisaki's shoulder to gently but firmly push her back into her seat. She leaned back looking rather upset, and she quickly uncrossed and recrossed her legs, giving Maou a much more in-depth look than was necessary into her choice of undergarments for the evening.

"You're drunk," the black haired young man said, "you're sad and you're tired and it feels like the world is pulling you in all directions… but don't worry, you've got this… Ms. Kisaki."

Maou focused his power again, and with a small sigh, Kisaki slumped over, sleeping, her memory of the past few minutes erased. After reassuring the bartender that she'd awaken shortly and that he would attend to her, he decided to find his way back to the restaurant.

On his way back out to Emi, though, Maou couldn't help but think strange thoughts as the liquor clouded his mind.

'What if she had a point? She is a Demon of Sales after all, and Emi is the Hero. It makes more sense for a Demon King to be with a demon, doesn't it? And on top of that, Kisaki's attitude and ambition could really be used to whip the Demon Army into shape. We could rule both this world and Ente Isla,' Maou thought as the bright lights of the restaurant stung at his eyes, 'hold on, was I seriously just considering dating my human manager?'

"And just what took you so damn long," Emi asked loudly, nearly spilling the wine glass she held, which was now filled with more whiskey.

Sure enough, it seemed Emi had tried to pour the alcohol herself, as there were dribbles of it on the fine table cloth, and she didn't even bother to put the bottle back in the same area, for it was now on her side of the table.

"I ran into my boss," Maou said, "do you remember Ms. Kisaki from MgRonalds?"

"Oh, yeah, that really pretty woman," Emi said, fixing Maou with a suspicious look as he took a seat at the table.

"Yeah, I guess she got stood up on another date. She's back in the bar area, sleeping on her barstool," Maou said casually, trying to explain his lengthy departure.

"That's too bad," Emi said quietly, "I know how it feels. I went to this party with Rika once… it was awful. A bunch of drunk bastards were hitting on me, but it turns out they just wanted a fling. I suppose being a strong willed woman makes most men feel small."

"It seems to," Maou agreed, realizing that Emi had shared in confidence, "she told me she's been on six dates where the guy didn't show up. She deserves way better… you know a few people, Emi, maybe you know a nice guy from work that might be a good fit for her?"

"Are you trying to get me to hook your boss up with someone," Emi asked, smiling at the bewilderment upon Maou's face.

"Well… yeah. You didn't see her back there, Emi. She was so drunk she was talking about having kids and a husband and a family… she drank so much that I'll be amazed if she comes into work tomorrow," Maou said defiantly, hoping against hope that Emi would throw him a bone on this one favor.

"So, let me get this straight," Emi said, setting aside her drink and leaning forward, "you, the Devil, who has murdered thousands-"

"Yes, Emi! I want people to feel loved, and I know they deserve it! I want humans to prosper and be happy, and I want peace! I want Kisaki to fall in love and not be alone because I-"

Maou stopped. He'd almost revealed he had feelings for someone, and that would lead down the long and prickly path of trying to explain to Emi who that person was. Emi looked at Maou for a moment before turning her gaze back to the tablecloth, her arms folded and her head resting upon them.

"Because you know what it's like to be alone," Emi asked, intuitive as she was, "because you know what it's like to put the needs of your people above your own wants…. Fine I'll ask around and try to find Kisaki a nice guy, but no guarantees."

"Thanks Emi," Maou said, "I owe you one."

"We'll call it even… I don't have another shopping day for some time, so I don't need a manservant at the moment," Emi said with a grin.

Standing from the table and putting more whiskey into either of their glasses, Emi got a few condescending glances, as most people usually just waited for a passing busboy.

"Here's to you, Maou," Emi said, resuming her seat and raising her glass before holding it out towards Maou, "you've come a long way since you were a horrible Demon King that I tried to kill."

"Here's to not being alone," Maou said, raising his own glass, "and to you agreeing to help my manager find someone special… and for what it's worth, I hope you find someone too, Emi."

"I hope you do to," Emi smiled, her cheeks red as they gently bumped their glasses.

Their eyes met, the velvet crimson and the deep, bright green, and for a second they both felt a spark of electricity. Perhaps it was their moment of passion at the museum, maybe it was just the aftereffects of last night's eye opening events, or possibly just all their shared memories and experiences, but for a moment, the both of them felt a strong desire to just… forget everything and be together. The look on Emi's face went curiously blank, as did Maou's, and she stood from the table slowly, delicately, picked her way around it. Maou felt something stir in his navel, and he turned to watch her as she came, her hips swaying back and forth in her gorgeous dress, like the rock of the ocean's waves. With a single pull, Emi's bun came free, and her magenta locks flew like birds on the breeze. In that moment, Maou didn't see Emi, he saw an impeccable goddess of beauty… and he had to have her.

In the middle of the crowded restaurant, Emi lifted her dress high so that it rode upon her thighs and she slowly, carefully straddled Maou. He slouched in his chair, savoring the feeling of this woman, pressed against him as she was. Emi wrapped her arms around his neck, her elbows resting upon the back of his chair. She turned her head, her breath hot and intoxicating upon Maou's face as their lips inched closer. The world as Maou knew it was almost in his hands, and that particular moment was better than any daydream he could've imagined.

"Aaaand cut," a voice said, ringing out from over a layer of strange moans and animalistic groans.

Maou and Emi froze, turning to find someone standing in the center of the restaurant, his thumbs and forefingers put together to form a little rectangle, through which he viewed the Devil and the Hero, wrapped more intimately than they ought to have been in public. With a jolt, Emi and Maou realized where they were, and they saw the damage of the restaurant. Tables were overturned, food was spilled, and upon the floor, wildly rolling round in the throes of passion, were the patrons of the restaurant. Everyone there was kissing, squeezing, groping and performing other sensual acts, their senses gone as the tall, thin, black haired busboy stepped through the smut.

"My, my, that was _delicious_ ," he said, gently brushing his hair from his face, "I couldn't have written that scene better myself."

It was the busboy, the one that had offered Emi and Maou whiskey, and now his eyes were glowing a lusty maroon color as he ignored the primal cries of the patrons, who continued to commit lewd acts.

"The Hero and the Devil… no, not even I could conceive a more depraved love story than this," he jeered as he came closer, the men and women closest to him positively howling with pleasure.

"You," Maou cried, "I remember you!"

"I was hoping you would," the young man said, "I wanted this face to be the last one you saw."

"Maou, what's going on," Emi asked, shivering as she lay against Maou, their bodies still primed and ready for action.

Without warning, Emi began to pull off Maou's sports coat and loosen his tie before diving in and planting kisses on his neck. In another situation, Maou might've found it more enjoyable, but with that dark haired busboy standing there… well, it gave Maou performance anxiety.

"Emi, c'mon you gotta get off me," Maou said sharply, sucking in his breath as Emi nipped his shoulder playfully, "we gotta beat this guy!"

"No chance of that, I'm afraid," the bus boy said, "you see, I have a trump card of sorts!"

From behind Maou stepped a pale and rather expressionless young woman with short brown hair, and light brown eyes.

"Oh no," Maou whispered, feeling tears in his eyes, "Rika, what have you gotten yourself into?"

 **Why hello there, bet you weren't expecting little old me to post again, were you? Well surprise! Anyway, I've been working hard on this for you guys and before you review this and complain about OC's let me just say he won't be around for long. Plot devices and whatnot. Moving right along, this date scene had been in the works for six months, which is when I roughly conceptualized it. Now that I'm writing it, however, it seems I'll have to split it into separate chapters. Something else I wanted to touch on was the implied MaouxKisaki. It ain't happening (in this fic, anyway) but you have to admit they are the ultimate power couple. Also, we see Urushihara turning into a househusband to save his computer. Something else you guys may want to know, the inclusion of alcohol in this chapter was inspired by the passing of my twenty first birthday and the subsequent massive consumption of various whiskeys, bourbons and rums. Can't do beer though, blech. Also, did you guys see how close Emi and Maou were to doing the sex?! MY GAWD IT WAS THIS CLOSE!**

 **On another, less dramatic note, an awful lot of research went into this chapter. The restaurant is real, though I don't think it's as high class as I made it out to be. Also, Asmodeus is an actual biblical demon of lust, also known as the 'King of Lust'. I thought it'd be cool for Maou to have competition, and to touch on the hierarchy (such as it is) of the demon world. Also, I'd bet you guys six million interweb cookiez that even after I combed through this chapter there are still mistakes. I plan on finishing up the "Date Arc" with one more chapter before I move on, to celebrate 90,000+ words and 200+ pages and your incredible patience. One way or another, this'll be done. I promise. Like I've mentioned, I already have the ending scene... getting there is the hard part.**

 **MUSIC!**

 **Grace is Gone- Dave Matthews Band**

 **Windswept-Crywolf**

 **Lights Down Low-MAX ft. gnash**

 **Ghost- HYDDE & HAWKES**

 **Sunny-Papa Ya**

 **Savage-Whethan ft. Flux Pavilion and MAX**

 **Banana Pancakes-Jack Johnson**

 **Chase You Down-RUNAGROUND**

 **As always my friends, devils, heroes, lovers, and haters, thanks for reading. I've been trying to get some feedback on my stories, so if you're so inclined, go ahead and drop a review. I read every single one, good or bad! TTFN, Ta Ta For Now, and I'll try to have the next chapter up tomorrow.**


	19. The Devil and the Hero: Demon's Thrall

The name 'Rika' seemed to bring Emi back from her state of perpetual depravity as she tilted her head to look at where Rika stood next to the busboy.

"Wha teh heww haf yoa vun iff her," Emi cried.

"Stop chewing on me, then talk," Maou growled.

Reality picked the heaviest stick it could find and broke it over Emi's skull, because in the next moment, she sat up, saliva still running from the corner of her mouth, as it had hung open when she was simultaneous gnawing Maou's neck and being outraged at Rika's situation. Wiping her drool from her chin, Emi looked down and saw that she was still pressed quite heavily against Maou, and she could feel every part of him. _Every_ part of him.

"I said, what the hell have you done with Rika," Emi asked quietly, getting off of Maou slowly and standing to face the busboy, readjusting her dress as she did.

"Careful, Emi," Maou said, standing quickly and putting a hand upon her shoulder to keep her from charging the young man.

Now that her attentions were no longer focused on Maou, Emi could see that the busboy wore a deep maroon vest that matched his eyes and the standard black pants. In fact, the more Emi looked at him, more she was convinced he was just a plain old human… all except for his eyes anyway, which throbbed with deep, dark red power. Emi felt herself staring overlong into them and she felt her innards twist as sick thoughts pervaded her mind.

"He's right, Hero," the busboy said, "you needn't get involved. And as for your friend, I have been using her for the long con. First I take her, then I snare you, and then I land the main prize."

One by one, he carelessly pointed with a gloved hand; first at Rika, then at Emi, before finally come to a stop at Maou.

"If you wanted your ass handed to you again, you could've just asked for a rematch," Maou said angrily, taking off his sports coat and rolling up the sleeves of his white dress shirt, "only a coward has to use hostages and hide behind innocent humans!"

"She's just a battery for me. The one I want… is you."

"Who is this guy, and why does he look like he wants to violate you," Emi asked in an undertone to Maou.

"I can hear you, you know. And as for my name, you may call me Asmodeus," the busboy said, taking a bow, but keeping his hungry maroon eyes fixed on Maou.

"It's kind of a long story," Maou answered, ignoring Asmodeus.

"Yes, but seeing as this isn't some long running anime that needs ten minute recaps whenever someone from a previous season shows up, I suggest you make it short and sweet… also, you may want to take a moment to say good bye to your bride to be," Asmodeus said with a smirk as he fiddled with a lock of Rika's hair. Still, she stood there, her eyes dull and her face blank. It seemed she didn't even register the situation.

"Ok… so, before I was a Demon King, there were a few other people with similar goals and... well, Asmodeus was one of those other guys. He's a very high tiered demon class, in all actuality, he can be considered a Demon King as well, though when he tried to overthrow my regime I beat him to a bloody pulp and sent him packing," Maou rambled drunkenly, smirking at Asmodeus as he told the tale of his defeat.

"Yes, well, sexual energy is hard to harness in the Demon World… creatures like you who derive power from fear and violence would always have the upper hand, even against the most powerful of my _refined_ species," Asmodeus said with a shrug, though his eyes looked much less seductive and more murderous.

"Sexual energy," Emi said, looking around at all the people on the floor. Many were spent, laying in sweaty heaps, others were still voraciously going at it, some singly, some in pairs and some even in a large pile; all were still fully clothed, though you wouldn't know it from the sound and smell.

"He's a Succubus, one of the Seven Great Classes of demons," Maou explained.

"Yes, and what are you again? Goblin class?"

"Shut up," Maou snapped, "I've beaten you before and I'll do it again. How did you get out of that prison I put you in?"

"Oh, details, details. I didn't come here to make banter, I came to destroy you once and for all Satan Jacob! At long last, I shall reign supreme as Demon King!"

"I think you've miscalculated," Maou said with a smile, a strange feeling of invulnerability washing over him, "you see, I'm not completely powerless just yet."

Maou's eyes burned with a bloody light and suddenly the moaning and whimpering stopped. The world seemed to freeze and darken as the color faded away. With a vast amount of effort, Maou had managed to bring Tokyo to a standstill.

"Most impressive," Asmodeus begrudgingly admitted, his cocky smile gone.

"I'm not out of power either, buddy," Emi shouted, making Maou jump as she extended a hand.

The Evolving Holy Sword, Better Half, appeared in Emi's fist. The purple stone set into the winged guard glowed brilliantly against the grey backdrop as Emi lashed out at Asmodeus. He made no move to dodge the blow, and with a click of his fingers, Rika was suddenly in the direct path of the Holy Sword's blade. Emi blanched, unsettled by the sudden appearance of her best human friend. Could Rika still see Emi, even if she was under Asmodeus's control? Would she remember Emi's strange otherworldly powers?

One second of doubt was all it took, and Asmodeus made it count by clicking his fingers once again. Rika's fist was wrapped in a maroon light as she sank it into Emi's gut. The force lifted Emi off her feet and sent her flying into Maou, who caught her and noticed she was unconscious.

"Ugh…. I think I'm gonna be sick…"

No, not unconscious, just extremely drunk, and now, extremely sore.

"Please don't throw up on me," Maou whispered, setting Emi upon the floor and standing to face Asmodeus.

'If only I could find a way to sever his connection to Rika… but how? Now that I think about it, how is she able to give him such strength,' Maou wondered, his thoughts swirling like water through his thick, fuzzy head.

"You know, I really love humans," Asmodeus said, once more playing with Rika's hair, "they're hardwired to procreate, and they breed like rabbits. I think I'll bring this one back with me after you're dead and gone. She'd make a fine concubine."

"If you're thinking about using her for your sick tendencies, you can forget about it! Rika deserves way better than some lunatic like you," Maou jeered.

"Too little, too late, I'm afraid," Asmodeus laughed, "you see, I've already come to know Rika… _very_ intimately. Every nook and cranny, either mental or physical, has been marked by me. There's no way for you to break our bonds now."

"YOU SON OF A BITCH, I'LL KILL YOU WHERE YOU STAND," a voice roared. Maou looked towards the open door to find a familiar tall blonde demon sprinting at Asmodeus, magic power radiating from him in waves and growing with every step.

"Ashiya, NO!"

An hour and half earlier, Ashiya and Urushihara were hard at work cleaning the Devil's Castle when a knock at the door interrupted their rather harmonious efforts. Lucifer, still garbed in an apron and a bandana, opened the door to find Suzuno standing in the public porch on the top floor of the Villa Rosa.

"Urushihara," Suzuno asked, one of her eyebrows drifting upwards as she looked him up and down.

"That's my name. What do you need, Bell?"

"Urushihara, invite her in and set up the tea," Ashiya chided from within the apartment.

"So what is it that brings you over here," Urushihara asked again as he closed the door behind Suzuno and turned on the burner to heat the tea.

"Well, it's been unnaturally quiet all day," the short church inquisitor admitted, "no yelling or fussing or anything. I thought you guys had died, or moved out."

"Funny how you easily entertain the thought of us dying," Ashiya scoffed as he folded dry clothes.

"You dying is far more believable," Suzuno explained bluntly, "moving takes far too much money, more than Maou could provide with his current financial situation."

"Here's your tea," Urushihara said, setting the scalding tea down on front of the inquisitor.

"Thank you," she replied courteously, her eyes still lingering on Urushihara's attire.

"Don't ask," Urushihara muttered under his breath before once more going about the apartment, nitpicking every little detail.

"I don't think I've ever seen you so motivated, Urushihara," Suzuno said, trying and failing to stifle her vivacious grin as she watched him twitch involuntarily.

"Nor have I," Ashiya said, "though I think it makes a nice change. If you continued down this road, perhaps I could convince the Demon King to give you an allowance.

Every fiber in Lucifer's short frame loathed being talked to as if he were some child that was grounded, but he knew that if he snapped backed, the punishment would far outweigh the crime. Setting his most pleasant smile onto his face, he turned to face Ashiya and Suzuno, both of whom were watching him carefully.

"I don't think that'll be necessary," he said, "I think I might actually take up Maou's manager on that job offer. Why stay here and clean when I could make my own money doing less work?"

It was Ashiya's turn to hide his anger as he began to wipe down the counter for the millionth time that hour, scrubbing it so furiously it made the apartment walls shake.

"That is a good idea," Suzuno smirked, "I'm sure good Sadao could use some help paying the monthly expenses. Having two incomes would be quite the saving grace."

"Of course," Ashiya said, turning to grin at Lucifer, "you two could split the rent, and the utilities, then you could have money and use the computer as much as you liked!"

It was a double edged sword, though, and everyone present knew it. It Urushihara worked, he would have much less time to be on the computer. That said, they may be a little kinder to him and leave him to his own devices if he began to help maintain the financial stability of the Devil's Castle.

"Well, I'll have a talk with Maou about it when he gets back," Urushihara said finally, stunning Ashiya and Suzuno, "by the way, what was the timeframe for his date with Emi?"

"HIS WHAT," Suzuno shrieked, her voice echoing through the building and out into the twilit streets of the Sasazuka district of Tokyo.

Ten minutes later, Ashiya, Urushihara, and Suzuno were all stuffed into the backseat of a taxi, Suzuno in the middle, her murderous aura making the demons on either side of her shrink away in cowardice.

"Explain it to me once more," she said irritably, crossing her legs to match her arms, "and spare no details."

"Maou and Emi are on a date set up by Rika," Urushihara uttered, quickly burying his face in his hands to spare himself Suzuno's feral glare.

"Where are they?"

"The Hakushu Teppanyaki," Ashiya supplied quietly, "it's a fancy restaurant, it's over-"

"I know where that is," she growled, leaning forward and giving the driver of the taxi an angry snarl, "driver! 17-10 Sakuragaokacho, on the double! Get me there in five minutes and I'll give you ten thousand yen!"

"Yes Ma'am, I know just the route!"

One frightening taxi drive later, Ashiya and Urushihara were lying upon the curb as Suzuno kept her word and silently handed the drive a crisp ten thousand yen bill. With a proud salute, the driver sped off, leaving Suzuno to give her two demon lackeys swift, yet gentle kicks to their least sensitive regions.

"Get up, you useless demons! We'll be spotted out here in the open," she hissed before ducking along a concrete raised bed that had small cherry blossom trees planted within its earthen center. She peered through the branches, carefully surveying each and every store front until her eyes met a large, bright display. The interior was visible through large windows, and she saw chandeliers, bright, antique molding and high ceilings. Within the restaurant, people in fancy suits and fine dresses were wining and dining, and above the open door, painted on in chipped gold lettering, were the words 'Hakushu Teppanyaki'.

"This is it," Suzuno whispered, "me and Emi visited Rika here once, however, I cannot see the Devil."

Ashiya and Urushihara, whom had crept up next to Suzuno, were both still looking rather green in the face as they tried to focus on not being sick on the sidewalk.

"There," Urushihara said, pointing at a black haired young man as he came out of a dimly lit doorway and made his way across the floor to sit with-

"E-Emilia," Suzuno muttered, her eyes wide as she took in the Hero's gorgeous peach gown, resplendent bun and killer heels.

"Oh my," Ashiya said, "it seems to Hero went all out. I take it that means negotiations are going well."

"Not quite," Urushihara said, "look at her body language… hold on, has she been drinking?"

"It would certainly appear that way," Ashiya said distastefully as he watched Emi sway and wave her wine glass around.

After a few moments, Maou took up his seat at the table, and he and Emi spoke. What was strange was that with each back and forth, Emi seemed more and more at ease until she was actually smiling. Not grinning wickedly or smirking, but genuinely smiling at the Devil.

"Emilia, what are you playing at," Suzuno muttered as Urushihara looked on uninterestedly.

Urushihara was primarily concerned with how he would go about explaining to Maou that he hadn't blabbed, and how Maou would likely try to kill him, before and during his explanation.

'Maybe he'll go easy on me,' Urushihara thought as he watched Maou and Emi raised their glasses, their eyes twinkling as they stared at each other.

"My lord, what are you doing," Ashiya whispered, suddenly as interested as Suzuno.

But in the moment their glasses met, all hell broke loose. The inhabitants of the restaurant fell from their chairs and onto the floor. Cries and howls echoed from within, and amid the chaos, only four people remained. Two spectators, and two whose otherworldly magical powers protected them from the full effects of the incredibly powerful spell woven throughout the restaurant. As one, Ashiya, Urushihara and Suzuno watched as Emi stood from her chair and slowly walked around the table. Their jaws dropped in unison as Emi pulled out her bun, lifted her dress, and gently straddled Maou as he leaned back into his dining chair. The other two people remained fastidiously still, watching as the Hero and the Devil took on provocative positions.

"What-"

"-the-"

"-fuck."

Ashiya, Suzuno, and finally Urushihara had spoken, each one taking up the next word in turn to form the one statement that could acutely explain how they felt about the situation.

Emi and Maou leaned in close, their heads tilted, their lips so close to touching that Suzuno felt chills.

"Aaaand cut!"

The handsome busboy with messy black hair stepped through the disgusting and profane acts of the mortals, using his hands to frame Emi and Maou.

"It couldn't be," Ashiya said, "is that… is that Rika?"

Sure enough, Rika stood behind the busboy, just out of sight of Emi and Maou, both of whom were frozen in place as they stared at the busboy. Emi, odd as it was, was still placing sensuous kisses on Maou's neck, loosening his tie and revealing more of his skin for her own pleasure.

"I'm going to kill that Demon King," Suzuno muttered, the concrete beneath her hands cracking as she gripped it.

"This isn't Maou's work," Ashiya said, "it's _his_."

He pointed at the busboy, who was having a conversation with Emi and Maou.

"How do you know," Suzuno asked, the hard look in her eyes matched by Ashiya's own displeasure.

"Do not question my lord's intentions with such reckless idiocy," Ashiya chided, glaring down at the angry clergywoman, before once more looking at Rika, "he only came here so as not to offend Rika, and to promote relations between the humans and demons of Ente Isla. The root cause of all this vulgar demonic power is-"

Ashiya stopped talking as he heard a strange sound from next to him. Rather like someone smacking their lips. He turned to find Suzuno hard at work, planting kisses upon every part of Urushihara she could, while the fallen angel lay flopped against the concrete, looking as if he'd become braindead.

"I didn't think Bell's power had grown so weak," Ashiya sighed before using his own demonic magic to bring her back to her senses.

Her breathing became labored and her skin began to tingle as lightning flashed through her nervous system. Suzuno had never felt so attentive, so alive before. She found the touch of Urushihara's skin addictive and she simply couldn't get enough as she placed her lips anywhere and everywhere. His neck, his lips, his nose, his forehead, his chest, every part of him was so enticing… but why was it getting hard for her to breath? She found herself enveloped in a sphere of emerald demonic magic, and suddenly she whirled to Ashiya, as furious as she'd been on the ride there.

"What the hell, Ashiya," she cursed as she clung onto Urushihara as if her very life depended on him.

"Look at yourself," Ashiya smirked, "showering a demon with kisses and lewdness. Whatever happened to the sweet, innocent Inquisitor?"

"Recreant demon," she muttered before pushing Lucifer away and once more getting onto her knees to peer over the wall.

'That was nice,' Urushihara thought as he, too resumed his vigilance, thinking wistfully upon those few seconds of ecstasy.

The scene in the restaurant had escalated quickly, and a loud boom alerted the three stalkers as they watched Emi get thrown backwards by a mean right hook from Rika, who had a frighteningly lax expression as she punched the woman whom she'd once called her best friend.

Maou caught the Hero and laid her down, but she didn't get back up, though she was still moving slightly.

"The Hero is down," Suzuno whispered, still a little red in the face as she made to leap over their cover.

"Wait," Urushihara said, "you shouldn't go, you're low on magic power as it is."

But the voices of Maou and the busboy grew louder, until their conversation could be heard clearly, even from across the street, which was oddly silent.

"If you're thinking about using her for your sick tendencies, you can forget about it! Rika deserves way better than some lunatic like you," they heard Maou yell.

"Too little, too late, I'm afraid," Asmodeus responded in kind, "you see, I've already come to know Rika… _very_ intimately. Every nook and cranny, either mental or physical, has been marked by me. There's no way for you to break our bonds now."

Ashiya stiffened, his entire being suddenly burning with fury. Intense magical power poured from the 1500 year old demon like a river as the strongest naturally occurring armor the demon world had to offer appeared on his skin, along with a long tail and sharp pointy ears. His golden amber eyes glowed with bright light as he began to sprint for the shop, moving faster than the human eye could follow.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH," Ashiya bellowed in his harsh demonic voice, "I'LL KILL YOU WHERE YOU STAND!"

"Ashiya, NO," Maou called out as the hulking figure of the armored demon appeared behind Asmodeus, his hand raised to strike.

"Not so fast, Demon General Alciel," Asmodeus said quietly.

In a flash, Rika intercepted the attacker, looking small and frail compared to the Demon General. Ashiya froze, not willing to strike, and Asmodeus felt a sudden spike in his power as the Demon General faltered before the human girl.

'Well, well, well,' Asmodeus thought, 'how very interesting.'

"Ashiya," the voice said quietly, looking at the Demon General with large, brown eyes, dulled as they were by her enslavement.

"R-Rika," Alciel asked quietly.

She moved and Ashiya twitched, sure she was about to attack, but instead she casually unbuttoned her waiter's vest and cast it onto the floor. With deliberate slowness, she reached up and began to slowly unbutton her fancy white undershirt, nothing beneath it save for her ivory skin and a lacy bra covering her chest.

"Ashiya," she said again, "let's be together."

"I'd take the deal, Demon General," Asmodeus whispered, his voice seductive and calming, "who knows when she'll wake up?"

"GRAAAGH!"

Alciel swung at Asmodeus, but Rika jumped and kicked his arm away, sending the Demon General stumbling back. She was suddenly so close to him that their skin was millimeters apart. Once more, Rika's fist was gloved in a fell maroon glow as she struck Alciel. Her fist hit his dense black carapace, and the blow was dulled enormously. Still, the force of it pushed him back and he slid through several tables, his arms crossed and his amber glare shining with hate as he stared at the man behind the blank faced human.

From behind Asmodeus, Maou charged in with a roar, Rika moving to intercept him. They came to blows while the Demon King of Lust watched with a smug look. A tap on his shoulder alerted him to his situation, and he found both Alciel and Lucifer standing there.

"Shit," Asmodeus said with a small smile.

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Lucifer said before forming a purple sphere of light in his hands and joining it with Alciel's emerald one. As one, they threw their collected power against Asmodeus, who erected a dark red barrier of his own. It held for a moment before shattering like glass and sending him skyward. His momentary flight climaxed close to the ceiling before he once more came crashing down, clear through the table Emi and Maou had occupied minutes ago.

"Snap out of it Rika," Maou hollered, fending off blow after blow, "guys, what are you doing? Get rid of that bastard!"

"We just did," Lucifer grinned, holding out a fist for Ashiya to bump. Miscalculating his own strength, Ashiya complied with a smile, only for Lucifer to let out a gasp.

"I think you just jammed my fingers," he shouted.

"If you guys are done with Asmodeus, could one of you figure out how to set Rika straight," Maou shouted, clearly still fighting for his life as Rika came at him with inhuman speed and agility.

"Who ever said I was done," Asmodeus asked angrily, the separate halves of the broken table flying in opposite directions as he regained his footing. A line of blood ran from beneath his hair, but other than that he looked untouched.

"Ok, maybe we were a little cocky," Lucifer sighed, "but we've got this, Maou, put a little faith in us!"

With a snap of his fingers, Asmodeus summoned to his side several humans. They were all panting, sweaty, and still incredibly aroused. They slowly approached Ashiya and Lucifer, who stood back to back, unsure of what to do.

"If you hurt those humans I'll destroy you," Crestia Bell called from outside the restaurant.

"Got it, sweetheart," Lucifer called, wondering how to proceed without hurting any of the humans.

Asmodeus raised a gloved hand, intending to once more snap his fingers and order the charge, but before he could, the sound of high heels on the floor rang throughout the restaurant.

"Hey, you, asshole," called a commanding voice.

There, in a flattering navy dress and high heels, stood Mayumi Kisaki. She was swaying to and fro like a flag in the breeze, and in one hand she carelessly held a glass of whiskey. She drained the glass and cast it to the side, smiling as it shattered on the floor. She stalked right up to Asmodeus, who was paralyzed as he watched her approach.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, huh," Kisaki asked, "what makes you think you can just attack a MgRonalds employee under my supervision?!"

"Erm… well, you see Ms…."

"Kisaki."

"Right, well, Ms. Kisaki, goodness, what a beautiful name," Asmodeus said, laying on the charm pretty thick, "I was simply removing these people from my establishment."

"Nuh-uh, I heard you earlier, you fuckhead," she said, storming at the demon and making him take several steps back, "you were gonna murder my employee!"

"Ms. Kisaki, watch out, that guy isn't human," Maou hollered, rolling on the floor with a half-naked Rika as she tried to subdue her.

"MAAA, WHY DOESN'T THAT GIRL HAVE A SHIRT ON," Kisaki yelled.

"Working on it, Ms. Kisaki," Alciel supplied, grabbing Rika's shirt and hurrying out of the frozen encirclement of enslaved humans.

"Well, I'm certain we can work something out," Asmodeus said, still quailing beneath Kisaki's intense rage.

"I don't think so buddy," she said with a sick smile, stripping off one of her heels and viciously driving the heel of it into Asmodeus's eye socket.

"AAARGH, YOU BEAUTIFUL, SEXY, HEARLTESS BITCH," Asmodeus cried, looking as though his heart had been stabbed as well as his eye.

"Sorry, you're hot and all, but you have no depth. I'm not attracted to shallow assholes," Kisaki said with a smile as she took a seat on the floor and pried the cork off another bottle of alcohol.

"We can't get Rika to wake up," Alciel shouted, "she's out of control!"

"I've got an idea," Urushihara said, his great black wings spreading wide as he willed the fabric of reality to tear open next to Asmodeus.

The Demon King of Lust ripped the shoe from his eye and held a hand over the blood that ran from it, the ruddy maroon light a telltale sign of him healing himself.

"Once my eye is fixed, I'll enslave you, too," Asmodeus growled, grinning madly at Kisaki, who blew off his comment like a master.

"Sorry, Asmodeus, but I'm sending you back to Ente Isla, straight into the clutches of the Demon Army, in fact," Lucifer laughed, "give my regards to Camio."

"Wha-NO, I WON'T GO BACK THERE, I WON'T," Asmodeus screamed as a great black hole appeared behind him.

The great force of the Gate pulled at Asmodeus like opposite ends of a magnet. He slid across the floor as it drew him in, but everything else was strangely unaffected by the mysterious gravity.

"NO, NO NOOOOO!"

"Oh, shut up," Kisaki said, throwing the bottle at Asmodeus. He tumbled forward and into the Gate, his screams falling further and further away until the Gate closed with a loud clap.

Almost as soon as it slammed shut, Rika Suzuki went still, her head slumped, and her eyes closed. Alciel and Maou, who were still fighting to clothe her, suddenly froze, paralyzed with fear.

"Rika," Ashiya asked quietly, now reverted to his human form, "Rika!"

"Her pulse is weak," Maou noted, grabbing her wrist.

"Uuunnnh," Rika moaned, her eyes flickering as she regained consciousness.

"Rika," Ashiya said happily, "you're safe!"

"I-I…"

Rika's voice broke, and tears began to fall from her face. Within moments, she was sobbing, quite horribly, into Ashiya's arms, her white shirt draped over her shoulders as overwhelming sadness shook her body.

"I-I'm s-so sorry-y," she called out as Ashiya gently rocked her back and forth.

"There was nothing you could do," Ashiya said sadly, "but you're safe now, and no one is hurt. Everything is fine."

"Ashiya-a-a, I was-s so s-scared! H-He said," she took a moment to draw breath, her form shuddering as she thought about her ordeal over the last few weeks, "he said he'd kill m-me, and Emi-i-i if I d-didn't play-y along!"

"Rika," Maou asked quietly, "did he- was what he said about the two of you… did he do anything?"

Rika's face grew slack for a moment before she recalled it, that terrible night, when he'd forced her to-

Her brown eyes widened and the tears came harder. Slowly, Rika nodded, and Maou's black aura grew considerably. Not wanting to look at the faces of her friends, Rika once more buried her own into Ashiya's shoulder.

"Urushihara," Maou called suddenly, "I need you to open that gate one more time. And I need a pen and a piece of paper. I have some special instructions for Asmodeus's imprisonment."

A short while after the orders were written, signed, rolled into a scroll and cast into the gate for his army to find, Maou focused his attentions on Emi, who was still drunk. A quick healing spell brought her partway back however, as she quickly sat up and scratched at her head.

"Wassup," she said, "I'm awake!"

"Emi, Rika is back to normal, but she remembers all of it," Maou explained slowly, "she knows about us. And what's more… Asmodeus took advantage of her… physically."

Emi looked over at where her friend sat, now being held by Kisaki as well as Ashiya as she cried. Emi felt tears come to her eyes as guilt welled up inside her.

"How come I didn't notice," Emi asked, the alcohol making her more emotional than usual, "why wasn't I there? She took the time to ask how I was and I… I didn't even bother to ask her the same in return."

"There was nothing you could do, Emi," Maou reminded her, laying a hand upon Emi's shoulder as she rubbed at her wet eyes, "he threatened to kill her, and you."

"Still, I should've noticed. I should've spent more time with her. I could've-I could've...," Emi trailed off hopelessly as she watched Suzuno also wrap Rika in a loving embrace.

"Hey, we gotta clean this up," Maou whispered to Emi, "and I don't mean to be insensitive but… you could erase her memory."

Forty five minutes later Maou had meticulously repaired the restaurant and unfrozen Tokyo, even in his completely besotted state. Ashiya, Suzuno, and Lucifer had wiped the memories of all the customers, and replaced them, one by one, onto their chairs.

Rika was rushed off to the hospital in an ambulance, Ashiya in tow, though only after crying profusely and apologizing to Emi and Maou over and over again. The official story was that Rika Suzuki had collapsed while on a rough shift at work, suffering a nervous breakdown. No one seemed to recall a certain black haired, handsome busboy working in the restaurant at all. Their work done, Kisaki, Maou, and Urushihara sat outside, contemplating the night's events. The three of them were shorty joined by Emi and Suzuno. Emi looked down at the concrete wall that her friends sat on before kicking Lucifer in the shin.

"Owwww, what gives, Emi?"

"Scoot," she said, wanting to sit next to Maou herself.

Urushihara did as he was bidden, though he never missed a chance to complain. Emi immediately laid her head on Maou's shoulder, and within moments she was sleeping peacefully, once more.

"You two are lucky to have each other, Maou," Kisaki said suddenly, standing up and almost falling, as she forgot she was still holding one of her shoes. She quickly kicked off the other before pulling out her bun and letting her hair fall. She turned to leave when Maou suddenly spoke up.

"Ms. Kisaki, would you mind if my friend, here, walked you home," Maou asked, "just to make sure you don't end up falling and breaking your neck?"

"I could use some company. I live a way's away, and this is one hell of a dream I'm having," she smiled, greatful for Maou's concern.

"Go with her, wipe her memory and make sure you go and check on Ashiya at the hospital before you come back," Maou whispered Urushihara.

"I'll join them," Suzuno replied in an undertone, "I don't trust that fallen angel quite so much as you, and I can check in with Rika, too."

With that, the odd trio began to walk away. As they went, Maou heard Urushihara ask about the possibility of a job. He laughed until Emi groaned in her sleep and shifted her head, trying to get more comfortable.

"C'mon, Emi," Maou whispered, "get up. We gotta walk home."

"So cold," Emi moaned.

Maou smiled and took off his sports coat before draping it over Emi's shoulders.

"Feet too," she smiled, eyes still closed as she sat up of her own volition and held out a foot for Maou.

"Geez, you're demanding," Maou sighed, getting up and kicking off his dress shoes before beginning the dubious task of removing Emi's high heels.

It took a few minutes, and Maou's shoes were too big for Emi's feet, but they would keep her feet from freezing.

"Ok, let's go home, Emi," Maou said tiredly.

"Thanks," she murmured, feeling Maou sit back down next to her. She placed a small kiss on his shoulder and then leaned onto him. He pulled her arm around his waist and together they stood, Maou in his socks; holding Emi's shoes in one hand while Emi gripped him with both arms.

"Where to," Emi asked, yawning to punctuate the statement.

"Well, my house is closer. I can probably look up a few hangover cures for you, and Suzuno can run and get some of that Celestial Force juice to help your recovery. Can't go to work drunk, can you?"

"Hey, Maou," Emi whispered, "do you think Rika will be ok? Should we wipe her memory?"

"I hope she can recover," Maou replied, "and I've made sure that twisted pervert gets a painful execution… but as for wiping Rika's memory, we can wait and see what the new day brings."

Maou felt his shoulder become cold and wet, and Maou once more realized that Emi was crying. He pulled her closer and tenderly rubbed her arm.

"It'll be ok, Emi," Maou crooned, "it'll be ok."

And so the Devil and the Hero set off into the night, too broke for a cab as the odd pairing began the long, lilting walk back to the Devil's Castle.

 **So, as some of you may have noticed, there's a little black line separating this text and the story text, and for the life of me, I can't figure out how to delete it. YOU WIN THIS TIME! Moving on, this was a ridiculously sad ending to the chapter in my opinion... I mean, poor Rika. I love her to death... so I make her suffer eternally for it. Again, a little research went into this one, as Asmodeus was a legit King of Demons and Lust in the Bible. If you have a tough time picturing him, I sort of pictured him to look like Sebastian from Black Butler. Not that it matters, he's dead now, Maou made sure of that. Sadly, I haven't discovered any new music, so just relisten to the stuff from the last chapter. And yes, I will now, sadly, be returning to the normal cycle of my writing, which also includes a few other projects I've been working on. Oh, and congrats on this fic reaching 30,000 views... god, I still feel so bad. RIKA I'M SORRY! FORGIVE ME, SWEET PRINCESS!**

 **As per the norm, thank you for reading. Feel free to scream into a pillow to show your frustration with Rika Suzuki's shit situation. Oh, and lots of AshiyaxRika and LuciferxSuzuno, cuz why the hell not?**

 **Love and happiness to you all.**

 **And to clarify, this isn't the end of the fic. I'm gonna add that before you guys get any ideas, this isn't dead yet!**


	20. The Devil and the Hero: New Lows

"Uhhh, Maou?"

"Hmmm?"

"Why are we naked?"

Maou and Emi were both laying upon the floor of the Villa Rosa Sasazuka. And both were naked, though the Devil was still dozing rather peacefully. Without warning, Maou kicked off his covers, completely nude, and sporting some serious bedhead.

"Maou, you're naked," Emi shrieked, diving back under the covers.

"Son of a-"

He made to lunge for the sheet he'd been covered with, but he moved too fast and found himself face first against the floor. Recovering quickly, he stood up fully and swathed himself in the sheet like an ancient Greek.

"There! Now I'm not the Devil, I'm a god!"

"You're an idiot, and still clearly a little buzzed," Emi remarked, holding her head and glaring around the room.

"Just a little," Maou reasoned, "I ate my steak and paced myself with the whisky. You just sort of… drank all the alcohol and then downed the food. I bet you've got a killer hangover."

"Oh my god," Emi groaned, her eyes wide as she turned her terrified gaze to Maou, "do you remember what we did after we got back here?"

"Uh, no, not really, why?"

"Maou, we were together. On the floor. Naked," Emi said, seriously concerned that the Devil might've lost a few too many brain cells from the alcohol.

"And?"

It took a moment for Maou to grasp the situation. And once he had-

"Holy shit! Emi, you don't seriously think that we-"

"I don't know! I can barely remember the walk here!"

"Ok, don't panic," Maou said, pacing back and forth and trying to follow his own advice, "this was an accident. Nothing happened. Where are our clothes?!"

"Ah, good, you're both up," Ashiya said, suddenly appearing from outside of the apartment.

"Ashiya what- holy cow- what happened to you," Maou asked, placing his hands on his hips as Emi blushed and pulled the sheets a little higher over her chest.

"Hmm? I don't quite know what you're talking about, sire? All is as it should be," Ashiya mumbled, carrying in a basket of freshly laundered clothes and setting it on the pristine counter, something he would've never done. It was even more surprising when the basket fell, and Ashiya swept the white blonde hair from his face.

"Oh dear, clumsy, clumsy…."

It was clear that something else was on Ashiya's mind. His eyes were far away and they slid over his surroundings without truly registering them. He muttered nonstop to himself and, to top it all off, he was deathly pale, save for the bags beneath his eyes, which were dark and made Maou truly consider buying makeup for his Demon General.

"I removed your clothes, sire, and Suzuno did Emi's. They needed washing. Apparently you both decided it would be a good idea to go to the bathhouse and stand in the stalls, bathing with your clothes on," Ashiya sighed.

"Naturally I brought you home, laid you down to rest before your return to work in a few hours, and I have just finished washing and drying your date clothes. Urushihara and Suzuno are resting in the other room. It has been a long night."

"And you haven't slept since yesterday, have you," Maou asked, wondering what he ever did to deserve such a caring second in command, "I order you to rest! By decree of the Greek god… uhhh Satan Jacob… eus?"

"Charming," Ashiya said, "but if I may, King Satan, I'd like to take the day off and see to it that Rika has company."

"Wha-oh… yeah. That's fine. But are you sure you don't want to sleep, at least for a few hours," Maou asked.

"No time," Ashiya said, the lifelessness in his eyes now replaced by a kindling flame, "I must go to her before office hours."

"What, why? What's up with Rika," Emi asked suddenly.

"She will be transferred to the nearest mental health facility as soon as it resumes office hours. I will be there for paperwork, emotional support, and whatever else she may need. Also, it'll please you both to know that Rika has been tested… she has not conceived a child by that…thing."

He let the statement hang as he wound the alarm clock Emi had gifted to Maou. He put his hand upon the doorknob, took a deep breath, and then turned around, trying to smile. Maou couldn't help but wince at the sight, for as Ashiya smiled, tears were falling from his eyes.

"I have… the clock has been set twice. It will ring once when you must leave, Emilia. I have left bus fare on the counter, and I have set the clock early enough to accommodate for breakfast, bathing, and any other things you may need to attend to before your work day begins. I have one bottle of concentrated celestial force on the counter as well, to aid in your journey home," Ashiya said carelessly, gesturing at the counter, "please remember to take your date clothes and shoes when you leave. My lord, I have done the same for you, though without the bus fare, and the celestial force. I have left your breakfast in the oven, turn it on when you awaken, and it will be hot by the time you are ready to eat. I've also splurged and bought you a pack of chewing gum. I'm hoping that a hot shower and some peppermint gum with mask the putrid layer of vomit and liquor, but we'll see. Pleasant dreams to you both."

With a snap, Ashiya closed the door to the apartment, and once more the room was plunged into darkness. Maou could only stand there, shocked at how little Ashiya had seemed to care when given the option of going to see Rika. Sure, she was a good friend, and she needed the support… but to miss out on sleep when you haven't had any in twenty four hours? What was Ashiya thinking?

"Never thought I'd say it," Emi whispered into the darkness, "but I'm glad Ashiya will be there for Rika. After what she's been through, I'm sure she'll need him."

"Yeah… yeah, you're right," Maou said, lying back down.

"Hey, whatever happened to that demon busboy? I think you told me something about your boss on the walk back, but other than that I'm drawing blanks. Is he out of the picture," Emi asked suddenly, sitting up and looking worried.

"He won't be coming back for Rika," Maou yawned, "I sent some orders through the Gate… he'll be executed in a very obscure and painful way."

"I suppose I shouldn't ask exactly how it'll be carried out," Emi posed as she too laid back against her pillows.

"No, you shouldn't," Maou said, "but suffice it to say that the method I used was actually banned in the Demon World after I took over… he'll be begging for death before the end."

"Good," Emi said bluntly, "not because he's a demon… but for Rika… she was just caught up in our issues."

"I've been thinking about that too, and I was wondering about-"

Maou broke off, now wasn't the time to discuss that quite yet.

"About what?"

"Well, I just came to the conclusion that as long as we're here, we'll be inviting trouble onto this world," Maou said simply.

"Yeah," Emi agreed, her head buzzing as it tried to think past the throbbing of her headache.

Together, but not together, Maou and Emi fell asleep. Emi, as Ashiya had noted, was the first to rise. She was up before the sun had risen, and the world was gripped by an eerie twilight. Maou woke a little later, sure that he had heard Emi's quiet footsteps when the alarm had first gone off. For the first time since the fiasco of his first date with the Hero, the Devil laid awake and thought about her. He wasn't dreaming, though not for lack of trying. He thought about their date, he thought about Emi's outrageous alcohol consumption and he wondered how she felt about the entire thing.

'I should ask her,' Maou thought sheepishly, 'where's my phone?'

Wasting no time, Maou smiled as he typed in a poorly spelt text message asking Emi's opinion on their first date. The response was shortcoming, and Maou was tempted to wait until he was completely sober to read it and reply, but his curiosity got the best of him.

 _I had fun until we were attacked by a crazy demon._

Maou read the reply, his guilt about Rika's condition all but forgotten in the soft arms of sleep deprivation and the warm drink in his stomach.

'She had fun,' Maou thought, smiling once more, 'should I ask her out again? Oh, wait, Rika set that first one up…. Crap, Rika….'

 _Any news on Rika,_ Maou replied, his fingers fumbling as he typed, very nearly dropping his phone onto his face at one point.

He waited for a little while. Ten minutes passed without a reply before Maou once more got a message. Again, he was tempted to simply leave it until he was awake and completely lucid. But still, it was Emi…

 _Ashiya got her booked and set up in that mental health facility. I've set up a time to meet her. Apparently she's not doing so good. I think we should do it._

Maou felt his face grow hot and sweat beaded his brow as he smiled. What exactly was Emi implying? Before he could question it, he received another text, and his fluster faded suddenly.

 _I want you to do it. Take Rika's memory and any negative emotions she has about being used sexually. I want you to erase her pain like you did mine._

 _'_ Oh, so that's how it is,' Maou thought as he lay there, staring at the bright screen of his phone, 'well, unfortunately for you, Emilia the Hero, our contract doesn't apply to Rika!'

Maou made as much known in his next text, his happiness temporarily fading as he glared at the little numbers on the main screen that displayed his phone credits. He would have to buy another phone card soon.

 _Either you do as I say, or I'll tell Ashiya and Lucifer about our agreement._

Maou smiled, the alcohol making him want to press every advantage he had, so as to appear to be on equal ground with the Hero. She may have been the only woman he'd ever cared for, but he needed to show her he could cope with her insanity.

 _Joke's on you,_ Maou keyed into his phone, _Lucifer already knows. He figured it out a while ago._

 _Then it's decided,_ Emi responded, her clear, yet hungover head throbbing with pain, _if you don't want Lucifer to be annihilated, you'll help Rika. Please Maou._

Perhaps she wasn't as clear headed as she'd liked Maou to think, but her last words echoed in Maou's head. Emi needed help. She was powerless without him. It made sense, after all, that Emi would have hesitation about erasing her best friend's memory.

 _Fine, I'll do it, but you have to go on a date with me. No demons, no bosses, just you and me. We'll set it up in secret and make sure no one follows us this time,_ Maou replied, smirking as he pressed the send button.

 _Thank you. Just tell me when you want the date and I'll be there, and I promise to be civil, and semi-sober,_ Emi responded.

Maou felt amazed by this sudden turn of events. Not long ago, he was being held at knife point by Emi, who was trying to kill him. It had been quite an eventful two weeks, but it made sense that the two of them were starting to click. It was only a matter of time. Maou felt a surge in his gut, and he thought he might be sick for a moment. When it passed, he looked at Emi's name, which burned itself into his eyes as he stared at it. With every blink, Emi's name furrowed further into Maou's consciousness until he was sure that her name would always flash behind his eyelids.

Without delay, Maou took a risk, as life couldn't be called life without such tactics. His fingers sure and ready, hey keyed in Emi's phone number by heart and pressed the call button. The phone rang a few times before she picked up. The static made it sound like she was in a tunnel of some kind, but her voice, as monotone and spiteful as ever, made Maou fill with energy.

"What is it, Maou?"

"Heeey, babe, I just wanted to call you up…. Make sure you were ok and all," Maou replied smoothly.

"Ugh, you're still drunk, aren't you?"

"Jus' a little. But that's not important right now, Emi," Maou declared seriously, standing to go outside as his vision became blurry and haphazard.

"Why aren't you sleeping? Ashiya said that you could sleep in a little after I left," Emi said matronizingly. She stood on the train that took her to work, surrounded by other people, looking just as tired as he was.

"As soon as you left, I found that I couldn't sleep," Maou said truthfully, taking a seat on the cold front stairway of the Villa Rosa upstairs.

"I appreciate the sentiment," Emi groaned, obviously sad that she couldn't bitch him out in public.

"It's true though," Maou slurred, "every word of it. Seriously, I'd let you live here for free if it meant I could get a good night's sleep."

"I might take you up on that," Emi laughed dryly.

"Anyway, about this date…."

"Help Rika first, and we can talk about this date all you like," Emi proposed to the drunken Maou.

"Oh, don'chu worry, Emi," Maou said, "I've already left the house for the mental hospital."

"Maou, turn around and go to bed," Emi sighed, "you don't even know which hospital Rika's in."

"No, but I can sense Ashiya," Maou retaliated.

"Really?"

"No."

"Idiot," Emi sighed.

"Hey, when we go on our date you gotta be nice to me," Maou said.

In truth, he had been walking, barefoot, in his pajamas, away from the Villa Rosa. He had every intention of curing Rika's mental problem then and there, but as Emi said, he didn't know where to go.

"I will, I promise," Emi said quietly, as if embarrassed.

Her quiet and sultry words put Maou on the brink of his human nature, such was the curse of his hubris. He felt his navel twinge painfully as he stopped in his slow, uneven tracks. For a moment, all Maou could think of was Emi, bare and seductive before him, but he pushed the thought away.

"Emi," Maou said, whispering into the phone.

"Yes," Emi said quietly.

"I wanna see you more often."

"Huh?"

"I wanna see you more often," Maou repeated, "I want to see you whenever I can. I can't explain it, but something about you makes me feel like I'm a Demon King again."

"Sounds like you've got a problem," Emi laughed.

"I have several, but you're chief amongst them," Maou replied seriously.

"Alright, I'll visit you whenever I get the chance, and I'll go on one more date with you, but you have to heal Rika first."

"Tell me where she is so I can heal her," Maou said, standing in the middle of the street as a lone car pulled up and honked at him.

"Are you outside, in the middle of the street," Emi asked.

"I might be," Maou giggled, waving at the passionate driver of the car, who honked once more.

"Get out of the street Maou," Emi insisted, "go home and sleep for another couple hours. You have to go to work."

"Work can wait," Maou said as he sat on the sidewalk, his feet cold against the pavement, "tell me where to find Rika."

"Why do you want to heal her so badly?"

"I wasn't kidding, Emi. I wanna see you more often. It brings me back to a better time. Plus, I'd bet Rika is important to you. You'll need all the support you can get if you go on another date with me," Maou joked as he glared up at a streetlight.

It seemed that even when he was drunk, it was hard for him to be truthful, as every other word from his mouth was a lie.

"Geez, why so desperate for another date," Emi asked, ignoring the looked her fellow train riders gave her.

"It's because you're the Hero, Emi," Maou lied, "no one else holds more sway over humans than you do. If I can make you a believer, then…."

"Then you can make other humans believers as well, and escape with your worthless hide intact," Emi asked tactlessly.

Maou, feeling overwhelmed by his own human emotions, sniffled and wiped tears from his eyes. All this lying was getting out of hand. He sucked in his breath and pulled the phone away for a moment so that he could regain his composure. He once more returned to his drunken cellphone conversation, his voice weak as he talked to Emi.

"Yeah, something like that," Maou laughed weakly.

"You sound sick, Maou," Emi said disgustedly, "don't go throwing up while you're on the phone with me."

"Heheh, no promises, Hero."

"Just call me Emi," the Hero said with a roll of her eyes, "as much as I like being a Hero, you saying it sounds derogatory."

"Alright then, but you gotta call me Maou. None of that Demon King or Sadao bullshit," Maou said with a triumphant smile.

"Deal. Now is there anything else?"

"What is the name of Rika's hospital?"

"Maou, you can deal with that after work," Emi said impatiently, "go home and-"

"No, no, no, no, Rika needs help. She was brutally sodomized and exploited by an enemy of mine, and I have a duty to make it right," Maou said loudly, sending out an idea link to try and find Ashiya.

"She's at-"

"Tokyo Counseling Services," Maou said, his face slackening for a moment, "1 Chome-9-18 Kajinochō, Koganei-shi."

"How did you know that," Emi asked.

"I just received an Idea Link from Ashiya. I'll be at the hospital shortly," Maou said with a grin as his eyes glowed red. Sure, he was a little low on power, but it could always be replenished, mental anguish was sure to be plentiful in a mental care facility. Besides that, he had quite a large meal ahead of him seeing as Rika had been chalk full of sadness, doubt, and fear the last time he'd seen her.

"Be careful, and gentle, if possible," Emi warned.

"Emi, listen, you're a great friend, but I want you to relax. Rika will be fine soon enough, and I'll have plenty of power."

"Tell me you don't plan on flying to the hospital," Emi asked worriedly, "you know that it's dangerous to drink and fly, right?"

"I'll be ok. I'll see you later. Let's meet up in Rika's room at the hospital, ok?"

"Ok," Emi said, sounding rather fearful.

"Love you, Emi," Maou said, breathlessly, making Emi's heart pump furiously.

"What did you say?!"

"Nothing, nothing," Maou said, suddenly closing his phone as his feet left the cement. It would be a cold flight, but he was less than an hour's drive away, so he'd likely be there in about five or ten minutes, what with his demonic power being expendable at the moment.

With a yell and a horrid turning of his stomach, Maou took to the skies of Tokyo like a rocket with a faulty fuse. The initial inertia of the take-off suddenly made him feel queasy, so he slowed for a moment before trying to fly hard once more. Again, his guts threatened to purge themselves upon the rooftops of many an unknowing bystander.

"C'mon," Maou groaned, holding his midsection and trying to keep down his dinner, "there's gotta be a way around this."

With a sigh, Maou tried to simply heal himself. It was a longshot, but it might help his body retain its nutrients if he had less power to rely on. Taking a deep breath, Maou kicked off on thin air, and like a javelin, he pierced the sky, this time with much more success.

The wind rushed in his ears as he beelined for the facility Ashiya had shown him in his mind. It was rather simple, but with personalized care and a full staff of fine psychiatric therapists, it seemed a bit blue blooded for Maou's taste. Nevertheless, he made haste so that he would still have time to clean himself up before work later. He was flying so fast that he very nearly collided with a few reflective skyscrapers that appeared to be little more than black skies dotted with stars. He managed to dodge around them, but he did end up face planting rather hard upon one pane of glass, leaving a rather odd facial smearing upon the pristine glass.

"Whoops," Maou laughed, his exhaustion and inebriation making him slap-happy.

A few minutes later, he touched down in front of the hospital, which looked more like a business front that an actual place of healing. Maou was about to enter when he remembered it was frowned upon to enter businesses without some kind of footwear. With another vague thought, he managed to pinpoint Ashiya inside the building and asked him to open a window for easy entry.

'Yes, King Satan,' Ashiya dutifully replied within Maou's head before a window on the third floor of the building slid open, the long white curtains of the room spilling out into the air above the Demon Lord.

Unfortunately, there were people and security cameras, so Maou had to perform another barrier to freeze time. Electronics, people, machinery; the entire street ground to a halt as Maou furrowed his brow and sweat furiously from the effort. Once more he willed himself upward, though this time it was less like riding a rocket and more like being hoisted up with a flimsy fishing rod.

He finally reached the window and clambered through, helped into the room by Ashiya, who looked at his liege in a repugnant manner.

"You couldn't have bathed beforehand, sire?"

"Didn't have time," Maou said quickly, "let's make this quick, I don't have much power left and I have to get back to the Demon Fortress with time to spare."

"Wha-m'lord, what are you talking about? I thought you were here to visit Rika," Ashiya said, eyeing Maou carefully as he swayed upon the spot.

"Emi asked me to suck out Rika's recent memories and emotions," Maou replied simply, stepping forward with purposeful stride.

"I don't want you to," said a weak voice from the bed.

Rika Suzuki, who'd been under the control of a demon, was now looking incredibly ill now that his influence had been purged from her body. She was pale and frightfully skinny, and her usually sleek short hair was now messy and matted. Her earrings were gone, and she wore nothing, save for a hospital's dressing gown. Several machines and IV's were hooked up to Rika, and they all looked out of place in the high society mental facility, the rooms of which were rather like hotel suites.

"Rika- what the-when did this happen," Maou asked, his eyes wide as he stared at the girl who was in much better condition only hours ago.

"It happened shortly after your orders were carried out," Ashiya said quietly, "it seems Asmodeus was keeping her heavily reliant upon him. She gave him power, and in return he used that power to keep her close and reliant. After his execution, his power faded completely, leaving her like this. The doctors say she could be like this for some time."

"I don't want my memories taken," Rika said firmly, though her frail state softened the resolve behind her words, "I at least want a chance to push through this. I'm not just some dumb human that Emi needs to take care of."

"But… don't you want to… you know, feel better? Aren't you scared now that you know who and what we are," Maou asked curiously.

"I was scared… but then I realized that you guys aren't as bad as he was… there's no way you could be… I've seen how much you guys care for Chiho and Suzuno… even Emi… your sworn enemy," Rika finished, staring at Maou as if her words meant more than he realized.

"Just trust me," Maou said, stepping forward and holding out a hand, trying not to move too fast and scare Rika, "I'll take away the pain, I promise."

Rika's consciousness blanched, and in an instant, it wasn't Maou before her, but Asmodeus, as he had uttered those same words to Rika right before he had-

"Ashiya, keep him away from me," Rika screeched, pulling away from Maou so hard that the IV's by her bedside fell forward onto the bed as she rolled out of it. The machines monitoring her breathing and heart rate flat lined as she crawled away on legs that no longer wholly supported her.

"Ashiya, what are you doing," Maou asked, his face blank as he watched Ashiya swathe Rika in a blanket and gently calm her down.

"I'm sorry sire, but… I cannot help you in this," Ashiya said, a strange look in his eye as he defied his king, "I will not let you take Rika's memories, against her will."

"But Emi-"

"Is only human," Ashiya said sharply, "and the moment she decided to take memories and emotions as she saw fit, she became unfit for the title of 'the Hero'."

Maou took a step back, floored by what Ashiya was saying. First his treasonous actions, and now slandering Maou's beloved? The gears in Maou's head turned and turned, finally clicking to a halt as his face became engraved with poorly disguised anger.

"Ashiya, bring Rika over here," Maou said impatiently, not willing to let his promise to Emi go unfulfilled.

"Please don't," Rika whispered, her eyes wide and tear filled beneath the stark white blanket, "I don't want to forget… I can't afford to… I have to remember what he did."

"I won't," Ashiya said quietly, still kneeling on the floor as Rika lay against him, "and I will continue to stand against you until you recognize that Rika is very capable of making her own decisions."

"She's been through so much, Ashiya, don't you want her to be happy again," Maou asked, trying to appeal to his most loyal counselor.

"I've been through so much that I'm not sure I could ever forget it," Rika muttered, just loud enough for Maou to hear. She turned to stare him in his glowing red eyes for a moment before continuing, "and I wouldn't want to, anyway. I'll get through this on my own, I don't need demon magic or whatever the hell you have to fix me. I'll do it on my own, as I always have."

"But-"

"She has made her choice," Ashiya said firmly, holding Rika a little tighter as he refused to look at Maou, "please leave before I am forced to escort you out."

Maou stared at the two of them as he felt his anger build. Unbeknownst to him, the demon within was awake and ready to destroy anyone and everything that stood in his way. The room grew dark, as if the lights were being turned down. The air grew cold and a black aura appeared around Maou, obscuring his features, save two glowing red orbs, which stared at Ashiya and Rika quite intently.

The red eyes blinked, the lights once more ran at full capacity, and Maou the Demon King sighed before bowing his head and holding the bridge of his nose. It was clear Ashiya wouldn't budge on this… and it was also clear to Maou that he was not the only demon in the household with illicit romantic interests.

"I'm leaving," Maou sighed, "I'll be letting Emi know what happened here as well… I hope for your sake she's in a good mood, because she may very well cut you down and erase Rika's memories herself."

"As long as Rika refuses to budge on this, then I shall stand beside her… even the Hero will have a time trying to kill me," Ashiya said, sweat beading his face as he stared at the Demon King, who refused to meet his gaze.

"Whatever, just be sure that you come home sometimes to check in," Maou mumbled before stepping onto the windowsill and dropping.

Screams could be heard from outside as Maou jumped, and they made Rika flinch as they tore through the twilight.

"He's low on power, so by using peoples fear, he will fuel his flight home," Ashiya explained.

"Why couldn't he just walk," Rika asked as Ashiya picked her up and laid her back down upon the bed, tucking her in so that she was nice and warm and cozy.

"He needs to have time to bathe before work," Ashiya said simply.

"Oh geez," Rika grumbled, a small smile pulling at her lips, "it's Monday, isn't it?"

Ashiya, noting the courage and strength it took for Rika to smile and joke, beamed at Rika, causing her smile to widen. For a moment they shared in a mutual moment of happiness before stark reality once more made an appearance. Ashiya turned away from Rika before reaching forward and readjusting her pillow for her.

"You should get some more rest," Ashiya sighed, drawing upon his incredible memory to perfectly replace each IV and monitoring machine cord, "I'll be finished in a moment…"

The door opened after a hasty knock and a pale nurse peaked inside quickly, looking around for signs of distress. Clearly, the machines monitoring Rika's heart rate and breathing were monitored by other staff members at a remote location.

"All fine in here," the nurse asked politely, still looking rather unsure.

All the IV's were in place, and all signs of damage were gone, the only people in the room were Rika, who was once more swathed in her blankets, and Ashiya, whom stood by her side and looked at Rika worriedly.

"All fine," Ashiya said, glancing up at the nurse before once more looking at Rika, "feel free to leave Ms. Suzuki's health to me… free of charge, of course."

With a mysterious emerald glow in Ashiya's eye, the nurse smiled and bowed her way out of the room. It was a first for Ashiya, as he was not prone to selfish or outrageous acts. In fact, he felt so bad about using his demonic powers in such a fashion that he quickly turned to Rika for surety. She pulled the blankets over her head like a hood, but from the shadows he saw her mouth twitch into the form of a smile.

"Thank you, Ashiya," Rika said quietly, "I know that using your… your demon magic must be hard in this world, and I appreciate all you've done for me."

"It's nothing," Ashiya sighed, slumping down into a chair and holding the bridge of his nose, the reality of his situation dawning upon him.

In truth, he was now unsure that Maou would accept him as a Demon General. Maou had most definitely come to rely upon Ashiya, and in that reliance he'd found a trust in him he shared with few others. Even before they'd been trapped on Earth, Maou and Ashiya were inseparable as they had fought hard to keep their conquest on the rise. Now that Ashiya had betrayed that trust and stood against the Demon King, strange thoughts occurred to him. Should he and Rika run? Where would they be safe from Satan Jacob, the King of Demons? How far did his power reach? Ashiya was overwhelmed, to say the least. The emotional toll was bad enough, but the prospect of his former ally now being an enemy made his situation all the worse… or did it? Ashiya had Rika at his side… and while he deferred to Maou as his superior, Ashiya actually had seniority over the Devil, as he was over fifteen hundred years old, and Maou was barely in his three hundreds.

"It'll be ok," Rika whispered, laying her hand upon Ashiya's, causing the blonde demon to look up, his eyes still filled with uncertainty.

"You're right," Ashiya smiled, gently squeezing Rika's hand as he waited for her to drift off to sleep.

"What do you mean, why can't you take Rika's memories," Emi asked, whispering as she spoke into her phone.

She was sitting in the office of the Docodemo customer service center, trying not to draw attention to herself as she spoke on the phone with Maou. Usually she wouldn't answer a call from just anyone, but after Maou had called her three consecutive times, she decided to pick up.

"Ashiya wouldn't let me… and when I got close to Rika she screamed for help," Maou admitted, panting slightly as he rode his bike, presumably headed to work himself.

"You're the Demon King," Emi hissed into her phone, "Ashiya would do anything for you!"

"Not this time, Emi," Maou panted, "you didn't see the look he gave me. I know the look of a cornered man as well as the next demon, but the look of a cornered demon is much worse."

"Cornered… wait a sec, why would Ashiya refuse to let you take Rika's memories," Emi asked, glancing around to make sure she remained unnoticed.

"Rika was awake, and she didn't want me to… I guess the two of them share a bond I can't fathom," Maou said dryly, smiling to himself as he pedaled quickly across the street.

"You mean that Ashiya and Rika are-"

"I don't know," Maou said, shaking his head, "I just don't know anymore."

"Well… I suppose that there are worse men than Ashiya out and about," Emi said, her heart aflutter as she spoke.

Maou, hearing that statement, nearly hit a light pole before swerving out into traffic. Barely managing to avoid being struck by a vehicle, he quickly alighted upon the sidewalk and squeezed the brakes, coming to a halt upon the concrete.

"Come again," Maou huffed, his shrieks of fright not lost upon Emi's ears.

"I said… well, there are worse men than Ashiya out there," Emi muttered again, staring at the ground as she twisted her foot, digging her heel into the carpet.

"Ashiya is a one thousand, five hundred and forty three year old demon," Maou said indignantly, "you claiming that he's not a bad guy is… well, it's ridiculous."

"He's strong, caring, financially wise and morally predictable… I think he and Rika will make a fine couple," Emi rebutted hotly.

"Oh, ok, so Ashiya is cool, Lucifer if fine, but I'm just Demon King garbage," Maou asked, ignoring the strange looks he got as people walked by him on the sidewalk.

"Wha- no, you're not garbage, Maou," Emi said quickly, "you just… you have more significance than those two."

"Tell you what, why don't I just get with Chiho? Would falling for a human suddenly make me a nice guy, Emi," Maou asked sarcastically.

"Maou, this isn't about you!"

"What if it were," Maou said suddenly, his chest throbbing painfully as he tried once more to pry the Hero's feelings apart and sift through the mess, "how would you feel, Emi? After all we've been through… together… how would you respond?"

"I-I don't know," Emi admitted, feeling rather put upon as her conversation got heavier and heavier.

"Why don't you know," Maou asked loudly, "what is so hard about knowing your feelings?"

"Maou, lighten up, will you?"

"No! I'm done trying to play nicely, and I'm feeling rather shitty, considering Ashiya betraying me and your ridiculous expectations of me. I'm a Demon King, not some super hero, dammit! I have needs!"

"So hit a strip club, or find a hobby! Ashiya can't take care of you forever, and my feelings are my own," Emi retorted loudly, the office surrounding her falling away as she became engrossed in the conversation.

"Yeah, so are mine Emi, but right now I'm sort walking on thin ice when it comes to how I feel," Maou admitted quietly.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"….."

No response came for a moment; all Emi could hear was Maou's heavy breathing, like that of a bull before a charge.

"Nevermind, Emi," Maou said, his voice strangely even, though his face was twitching with anger and fruitless hate, "do me a solid, will ya? From now on, when you have bad dreams or whatever, don't call me. Goodness knows I could use the extra sleep. Also, tell your church friend that if she even comes to my door I will treat her as an enemy of the Demon King Army."

"You can't be serious," Emi commented angrily.

"Dead serious… and the same goes for you, Hero," Maou sneered before angrily pushing the 'end' button on his phone.

"What the-" Emi began.

"Yusa, back to work," Emi's boss called over the rows and rows of customer service workers. With a sigh, Emi closed her phone and glanced at the chair next to hers, empty as it was due to Rika's condition.

As Emi thought about Rika, Maou and Ashiya, she couldn't help but wish for a less turbulent time. With another heavy sigh, Emi sent Suzuno a brief, vague text warning her against visiting the Demon Castle, especially during Maou's time away from work. In the end, she readjusted her headset, and set to work once again, taking calls and helping to serve the customers of Docodemo. Still, her head buzzed with her situation as the work day slowly ticked by. Even with the distractions, one question seemed to drill through Emi's mind.

'How do I feel about Maou,' Emi wondered to herself.

"Order up," Maou said loudly, his voice filled with lackluster enthusiasm as he set down a tray of food, not bothering to thank a paying customer for their patronage. With raised eyebrow, Kisaki looked on as Maou continued to display a poor work attitude. Chiho, who was returning from a stint in the girls restroom, was quickly corralled by Kisaki.

"Chi, what's going on with Maou," she asked in an undertone as Maou violently shook the french fries in the fryer, splattering boiling hot grease on several nearby surfaces.

"Oh? I thought something was off about Maou," Chiho said fretfully, "I thought he was just angry at me for some reason for another… but now that I look closer, I can definitely see why you'd be concerned…."

As if to emphasize Chiho's concern, Maou splattered a large globule of grease upon himself, only to snarl and drive his fist into the stainless steel counter, making the entire kitchen shake. When he lifted his fist, he found several small, knuckle shaped dents in the steel, along with a few drops of blood from his spilt knuckles.

"Maaa," Kisaki said loudly, "come to the back with me. Now!"

Maou bowed his head and cupped his injured hand in the other, not looking at anyone as he rounded the counter and made his way back to the 'employees only' area. As he passed Chiho, he glanced up, and Chiho felt fear as she saw his furrowed brow, his glowing red eyes and his extremely angry demeanor.

"Have a seat," Kisaki said quietly, rummaging around in a medi-kit, not looking at Maou as he slunk into the room.

"I'll stand," Maou said quietly, his face still shrouded as he stared at the floor.

"Sit," Kisaki said sharply.

Maou contemplated rising then and there as the Demon King. It would be so quick and easy; he would laugh evilly, smirk and shrug off his managers' orders, and then he would levitate as he made his stature very clear to his boss. After that, it was a quick and clean takeover of the entire world… but for now, he would wait on that.

"Sure thing," Maou sighed, dropping himself into the chair opposite Kisaki's as she pulled out bandages, antibiotic ointment and gauze.

"Alright, Maou, now would be a good time to start explaining," Kisaki said hurriedly, glancing up at Maou's steadfastly blank face, "and I hope that it's a good one, cause you're on thin ice with me."

'I could reveal that I know about last night,' Maou thought, 'wait, no, she probably doesn't even remember it… speaking of which, how did she come into work today?'

"Spill it," Kisaki said loudly, "otherwise I'll be sending you home for the week, without pay!"

"I'm…."

Maou didn't know what was wrong… how could he explain the situation to his superior? Betrayal? Stress? Unrequited love? Lazy roommates? Nosy neighbours?

"I'm... I'm going through a breakup," Maou said finally.

"Oh," Kisaki said, her voice much gentler as she finished pulling supplies from the medikit and began to look at Maou's knuckles, taking his hand in hers.

"I know I've been in a bad mood," Maou said suddenly, "and I'm sorry-"

"Save it," Kisaki said, a smile crossing her face, "you don't have to explain anything… I know it doesn't seem like a good idea financially, but why don't you take today off? Try and get your head screwed on right, you know? Say your last goodbyes and burn the bridge before coming back in tomorrow! And I expect a much better attitude from you. Do I make myself perfectly clear?"

"Yes ma'am," Maou smiled, wincing as Kisaki quickly and expertly bandaged Maou's hand, "wow, you're good at this!"

"Thanks, I used to bandage people up quite a bit, back before the mandatory kitchen update. The old fryer would shoot grease halfway across the kitchen, and it would hit so many people every day that bandages become sort of common among the staff," Kisaki said, carelessly tossing her messy ponytail over her shoulder.

Not for the first time, Maou noticed how cute his manager was, and how remarkably odd and useful she was. Again, he was reminded of her title as the 'Demon of Sales' and after a moment, he decided to do something drastic.

"Hey, Mayumi, how would you feel about going on a date with me," Maou asked, enjoying the shocked look he got from his boss.

"Ahaha, you're really something, you know that," Kisaki laughed, "besides, it sort of goes against my personal policies on workplace relationships… like I said, take the day off, get your head straight, and then come in tomorrow."

"I'll take that as a maybe," Maou smiled, laying it on pretty thick.

"Ugh, now I'm starting to wonder why I hired you."

"You love me and you know it," Maou smirked, waving as he was ushered from the office.

"Yeah, like a little brother," Kisaki laughed, pushing Maou out of her office before shutting the door. She smiled and leaned against it, wondering what was up with Maou.

He quickly entered the employee locker room, changed into his street clothes and punched out of the old fashioned time clock. With a sigh, Maou raised a hand at his coworkers before exiting without a word.

"What was wrong, Ms. Kisaki," Chiho asked, staring at Maou as he pedaled hard past the open window of the MgRonalds.

"Apparently, Maou is going through a breakup. A pretty bad one, too."

"MAOU IS GOING THROUGH A WHAAAAAAAAT?!"

"Oh, you're home early, Maou," Lucifer said, having brought the laptop from the closet.

The difference only a few hours without supervision had made was astounding. Urushihara was sitting at the table, surrounded by empty wrappers, bottles, and the like as he quickly tapped away at the keys of the computer. Maou simply threw himself down at the table, not saying so much as a 'Hello' as he stripped off his shirt and used it to cushion his head against the hard table.

"Ashiya has betrayed me," Maou muttered quietly, "Rika was raped and Emi doesn't seem to have any sort of feelings for me… but at least I have you, Urushihara."

"Of course you do, Maou," Urushihara said bluntly, not taking his eyes from the computer screen, "remember our deal?"

"I don't suppose you'd be willing to get a job and help me pay the bills, would you," Maou asked, sitting up slightly and setting his head in his hand.

"Wouldn't count on it," Urushihara said, taping away at the keyboard and glancing up at the screen quickly.

"Well then, that leaves you as the resident house husband," Maou laughed dryly, "you'll need to cook, clean and take care of the place while I'm at work."

Maou waited for a reply, but none came. Urushihara simply sat there, typing faster than Maou thought possible. After a moment, Urushihara sighed and turned to face Maou, massaging the bridge of his nose as he did.

"Maou, Ashiya will be back, and the Hero… well, she's the Hero," Lucifer said, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

Maou stared at his sole comrade and last remaining Demon General with a rather blank expression. He waited for Lucifer to continue while Lucifer in turn waited for Maou to say something. The silence between them became unbearable for a moment before Urushihara slapped a hand to his forehead.

"This is going nowhere fast," Urushihara said, "I was gonna sell you some crap about love taking time to mature and how she would come around, but here's the truth… I received an angry text from Suzuno-"

"You don't have a phone," Maou interjected suddenly, very alert and on edge.

"I use the computer," Urushihara sighed before continuing, "anyway, Emi texted Suzuno, saying that you prohibited her from coming over here… I want that ban lifted. Sure, limit the Hero's free access, but Suzuno has been nothing but a friend since Sariel's failed attempt at Heaven's mission to reclaim the Holy Sword… let her visit every now and again."

Slowly, Maou's eyes became unfocused as Urushihara spoke. It was all so clear now, he only wanted to be able to see Suzuno because he was infatuated with her! It was only a matter of time before Urushihara left Maou as well, siding with the Church and their puppets rather than the Demon King, whom Lucifer had sworn to serve until their ideals no longer aligned… it seemed that time had finally come.

"Have I been a good king, Lucifer," Maou asked quietly in Centruvian, the most common language of Ente Isla, "or do you find my rule to be wanting?"

"Wha-no, Maou, what are you talking-"

"If you wish to take my life, you may," Maou continued, once more standing and turning to face the door, his arms folded as he tried to stand regally, "otherwise, I think you should find somewhere else to live."

"You're kicking me out," Urushihara said indignantly, still speaking in Japanese.

"You are free to choose: kill me and take up the rent, or leave now and abandon the Demon Army. Whatever the case, you will no longer be bound to me, and I'll finally have some measure of peace," Maou muttered, more to himself than Urushihara as the small, purple haired angel stood up and glowered at the Demon King.

Finally, Urushihara saw what was happening: the final link was being severed. Maou had been so tied up in his business of being Demon King and his life as a fast-food worker, he hadn't managed to really do anything, aside fall in love with the Hero, which did more harm than good. With Ashiya gone and Urushihara evicted, Maou would be alone.

"Your reign has been…."

Maou waited, still not looking at Lucifer as he handed down his verdict in Centruvian.

"Adequate… plus, I expect this will all blow over soon. Until then, I'll see about staying at Suzuno's," Lucifer said, once more reverting to Japanese.

With another large sigh, Urushihara packed a blanket, a pillow, and the laptop, wrapping it all into a bundle and gently punching Maou in the gut before stalking past him, out of the apartment and out of the Demon Army.

"Now that he's gone…"

Maou was at a complete loss. Ashiya and Urushihara were gone, he was completely alone, and for the first time in a while, he found himself directionless. In more ways than one, he found he really didn't have any plans for the future. Was he the Demon King? Was he just a MgRonalds employee? What was that yelling from next door?

"Oh, so first there's a full Church embargo in the Castle Overlord, now we're expected to cater to demon army rabble?!"

Suzuno was clearly not taking kindly to Urushihara's intrusion. But after a while, things settled back down, and the silence pressed upon Maou like a thick blanket. It was horribly stifling. Where was Ashiya to prepare supper and make sure Maou was ok after his shift at work? Even Urushihara's irritating presence had been better than the horrible stillness pervading the apartment. With a sigh, Maou laid down and tried to nap, but the day was still fresh and bright, and the sunbeams speared through the curtains and kept him lucid. Finally, he felt his gut squirm and he decided to get up and get himself something to eat.

When Maou looked at the clock, he saw that it was already about time for his lunch break, which was actually around dinner time due to his late shift. Opening the fridge, Maou sighed when he saw there were no leftovers. It seemed that if there was any food to be had, Urushihara had gone and eaten it.

'Now what am I gonna do,' Maou wondered as he began to peer through the cupboards, wondering where everything was and how he should go about making some simple riceballs.

Several hours passed as Emi put her nose to the grindstone, trying with all her might not to check the time, nor count the number of people she'd helped. Even with this stringent behavior, she found that time was still moving rather slowly.

"Phew…" Emi sighed, pulling her headset from her sore ears as she leaned back in her chair.

Not for the first time that day, Emi was once more lost in thought, wondering what Maou was doing. Emi had received a text shortly before her first break, stating that Maou had thrown Lucifer out of the Demon Castle and that he was now apparently cooped up in there alone.

 _Perhaps it is time that we cut our losses, seeing as the Devil no longer considers himself our allies,_ Suzuno had sent via text after explaining the situation.

Emi had quickly and subtly replied, making sure her boss could not see her on her phone as she warned Suzuno to stay her mallet, for the moment.

"Maou…."

Emi said the word without really meaning too… or perhaps she did. It was spoken as if she did not know what to make of the person. Did she like them? Were they enemies? Nothing was certain, and the more she thought about it, the more she knew she needed to get a head start on Maou. What if he had gone back to Ente Isla now that he was alone? Or what if he'd simply changed addresses? Emi couldn't put anything past the Demon King, and so she decided that after she'd finished at her place of work, she would go to see him in Room 202 of the Villa Rosa.

With a clear goal in mind, or maybe because she'd been thinking for so long, Emi found that time seemed to pick up the pace a little after that. In no time at all, she was changing into her normal clothes and saying farewell to her coworkers as she left for the nearest train station. It was almost an hour's walk to Maou apartment, but the train would only take a fraction of the time, and so she bought her ticket, boarded and got off at the Sasazuka station, making her way north as she fiddled with her phone, asking Suzuno for a status update.

 _No change, and the Devil had been silent for hours. Are you coming here for a joint assault?_

What was it with that short, kimono wearing girl and staging militaristic assaults on young men in their tiny apartments?

 _No, I'm coming to discuss things with the Devil. Diplomacy is the key in situations like this,_ Emi replied.

From a distance, she could see the Villa Rosa, looking marvelously orange in the light of the sun, which was setting fast. Quickening her pace so as to beat the failing light, she made her way up the steps fairly fast without falling, and was quickly accosted by her next challenge.

Emi stared at the door to room 202 with a face caught between cringing and genuine curiosity. Taped to the door was a poorly worded manifesto of the Demon Army, along with a list of people and associations not allowed within the room. All of this was written in a script so poorly formed that it was hard to tell who'd made it: Maou, or a four year old with a laundry list of strange grudges.

Emi, to her surprise, found her name not only on the top of the list, but also slipped in several different times… in fact, she was mentioned at least six times, and the last two were one right after the other.

"Let's see… no one is… allowed in-inside… without stripping? No, without strict orders… from the Demon King… wow, I think that 'Demon King' is the most legible thing on the paper," Emi sighed, having been reading the manifesto aloud, or trying too, anyway.

"It's good to know he can write out his own title…"

Much to Emi's surprise, when she tested the door knob, she found it unlocked. With a gulp, she grit her teeth and pushed it open.

"Holy-" Emi began.

"SHIT!" Maou exclaimed, pounding a fist into his knee as he angrily tapped away at the keyboard of what appeared to be a brand new laptop, judging from the box and plastic wrappings laying all over the floor. There were also pizza boxes, fountain drink cups and several empty bottles of sake.

"Wha- Maou! What the hell are you doing?!"

"E-Emilia," Maou muttered, turning around, his eyes narrowing as he tried to peer at Emi, "Hero, what are you-hic-doing here?!"

"Maou-"

"GET OUT," Maou roared suddenly, trying to get to his feet, only to trip and fall into a pile of pizza boxes.

From his prone position, he glared up at Emi with watery eyes and angrily swiped a hand at her, as if he were trying to use magic. His eyes glowed like flaming coals, but beyond that, there was little more than a gust of wind, and it tugged Emi's dress higher up her legs than a normal breeze would have. She quickly seized the hem and pulled it down, looking scandalized as she expected Maou to drunkenly glower at her. Instead, she was surprised to find he was staring quite intently at the ground as she straightened her garments.

"Maou, what is going on," Emi asked, kneeling beside Maou and trying to pull him up from the pile of greasy, cheesy cardboard.

"Get off me, Hero," Maou muttered as he rolled off the pile and carefully stood, clearly very intoxicated, "can't you read the door? I swear I put your name on the list of people I don't want coming in here!"

"Both before and after 'all employees of Sentucky Fried Chicken and their affiliates,'" Emi said sourly as she brushed off her dress and stood up to face Maou.

"And can't you read, or are you just here to laugh," Maou sneered, crossing his arms as he leaned heavily on one leg.

"I'm here because I'm the Hero," Emi said coolly, "and as your arch nemesis, it's my job to antagonize you."

"You red headed phone jockey," Maou slurred.

"Demon King of the Double Cheeseburger," Emi retaliated quickly.

"That is it," Maou snarled through gritted teeth, "leave, Hero! Get out and never return."

Emi picked up a bottle of sake and marveled at the label. From what she knew, the brand Maou had bought was rather pricey. She took several large gulps, letting it slide past her gullet as she slowly stalked up to Maou, kicking cardboard pizza boxes and fountain drink cups out of her way.

They were face to face when Emi thrust the bottle into Maou's hands and pushed her face into his.

"Make me," she whispered threateningly, feeling the sake kick in as lightning flashing across her back and into her extremities.

"With pleasure," Maou growled, gripping Emi by the arms, fully intent upon throwing her bodily out of the apartment.

With a surge, Emi activated her celestial force, as she had downed not one, but two bottles of Holy Vitamin Beta back to back on the way there. Emerada had warned against it fervently, but Emi felt that the situation was dire. Even in his drunk state, the Devil would have some trick up his sleeve.

What Emi didn't expect was for the bitter glow in Maou's eyes to flicker and fade, his demon magic draining away in the face of Emi's celestial force, which was now so potent it made her sweat just standing there, shivering as she was. Maou's face went slack, and releasing his grip on Emi, he quickly lunged for the little balcony, throwing up out over the edge and into the street, which was thankfully empty.

It seemed that Maou was low on power, and the sickening effects of overwhelming Celestial force had compelled Maou's stomach to purge itself.

"Whoops," Emi said with a small laugh, still shaking, both from her overdose on Holy Vitamin Beta and from Maou's intense contact.

"Aaaugh… Emi, why don't you just… BLURGH!"

Maou was sick again before turning around to face her, carelessly wiping his mouth on the back of his hand.

"LEAVE! Never come here again, you stupid, red-headed-"

Once more, Maou was sick over the edge of the balcony, the world spinning as his top half was draped over the railing like a towel.

"I'm not going anywhere," Emi decided on the spot, "you'll just end up dying from alcohol poisoning… guess I have to repay the favor…"

"No… I want you out… I'm gonna start a new demon army right here, and we're gonna play pinball on the computer and drink sake and eat pizza!"

Sure enough, Maou had indeed been playing pinball on the computer, as he had tried and failed to connect the computer to the internet. Minesweeper had been fun as well, but the goal of the game left Maou perplexed.

"So… this Demon Army, it's currently just you?"

"Yeah," Maou retorted hotly, "why, are ya scared? You should be!"

"I want to join up," Emi said, "c'mon Maou, make me a Demon General!"

"Wha-no, never!"

It seemed Maou's stomach was empty, and so as to remedy that he found the nearest bottle of sake and threw himself down in front of the computer, ignoring Emi as she stood there.

"Why not?! I'm as qualified as any of those other morons," Emi loudly, "I'm strong, hardworking, and I like beating things up."

At the mention of 'those other morons' Maou grimaced and brought the bottle to his lips, drinking heavily before he choked a little. He coughed and thumped his chest, fully intent upon ignoring Emi until she left. His efforts would be in vain, however, for she came around Maou and forced the laptop shut, looking Maou dead in the eyes as she spoke to him.

"If you don't make me a demon general, I'll just overthrow you, and I'll be the Demon Queen! That way, your army won't be a threat! How does that sound, Demon King," Emi posed angrily.

Much to her surprise, she found Maou smiling vaguely, his mind working quite fast. Was Emi proposing to him? She wanted to be a Demon Queen? Maou couldn't help but giggle a little, and he booped Emi on the nose, earning himself a scowl from the red haired woman.

"But… we'd have to be… married," Maou reasoned, laughing at the notion, though not because he found the situation conventionally funny.

"But Mao-D-Demon King," Emi stammered suddenly, whipping her hand away from Maou's as he made to hold it.

"If you wanna be a Demon Queen, those are the rules," Maou shrugged, turning away from Emi with a smirk, leaving her to fume as the Celestial Force took full effect and radiated in great waves of power holy magic.

"I just wanted to be a Demon General," Emi groaned sadly, swiping the bottle of sake from the table where Maou had put it, and taking another hard gulp.

"Position's been filled," Maou slurred, "this laptop is my first Demon General… it will-hic-replace Ashiya as my foremost strategical-hic-advisor."

"The computer… is your Demon General," Emi asked, leaning over Maou's shoulder to watch him lose a game of pinball quite fantastically.

"Yep. Think about it, with you as my Queen, and this computer, we could rule Ente Isla," Maou said, blushing as he felt Emi's heat as she rested her chin upon his shoulder.

"So what about the other Generals," Emi asked.

"Second is the pizza delivery man," Maou admitted, "and the third is the guy from the liquor store."

"The pizza man and the liquor store clerk are our Demon Generals?!"

"Our Demon Generals," Maou asked quizzically, turning himself to face Emi, their noses touching as they spoke to each other, "Emilia, darling, you won't have to concern yourself with my Generals… though I do like how you referred to us as a thing… pass the sake, would you, honey?"

"All out," Emi admitted, showing Maou the bottle that had been nearly full before Emi had arrived.

"You see? That's where the third Demon General comes in handy!"

 **Hey all, here's another chapter in the long running series : The Devil and the Hero. This chapter was filled with... filler, fluffy filler, as Maou and Emi try to work out their feelings. That said, I feel compelled to write a little something about Mental Health Awareness. The therapeutic offices mentioned in the story are real, and the address is legitimate, as far as google is concerned. Maou and Emi are supernatural beings, and they have advantages over that which we mortals have. If your or someone you love is feeling down and out, make sure you stick with them, you never know how much sway you have over them. I know that I myself have issues, and my closest friends are all that keep me here. I hope that each and every one of you reading this has someone like that in your lives, and if you don't, just know that I'm here for you, along with your local mental health professional... something else I'd like to share, from personal experience, is that you shouldn't feel bad about putting yourself first. People rely on you, they love you and they want to see you succeed. If you feel conflicted, just know that in order to help others, you must first help yourself, so don't feel bad, feel glad when you do things that make you feel good. Take that vacation, buy that bottle of whiskey, eat that cake by yourself! You do you, everyone else is only out for themselves!**

 **Now then, you guys don't come here to get preached too by someone you don't know, you come here to read about the Devil and the Hero! Sorry it took so long to post, I've been extremely busy with finding another job, but now that I have some free time I'll try to finish some projects of mine. Anyway, as I previously explained, this cghap[ter is essentially filler, wherein we see the Devil reach our lowest point... Quoting a certain airbending Avatar, 'When we hit our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change.' Ladies and gentlemen, this may be the beginning of the end.**

 **MUSIC!**

 **Saturnz Barz-Gorillaz ft. Popcaan**

 **Not really intertwined with the story, but incredibly catchy...**

 **Let Me Out- Hidden Citizens-ft Ranya**

 **Same as above, but gives me ideas for other projects...**

 **Coldhearted-Bryce Fox**

 **Back 2 U- Steve Aoki (Unlike Pluto Remix)**

 **LISTEN TO THIS MY DUDES!**


	21. The Devil and the Hero: Hungover

Several hours of silence had passed since Emilia had arrived at the Devil's Castle. Suzuno and Urushihara had been listening quite carefully, in case they should need to intervene, but aside from a few strange thumps and some unintelligible babbling, very little could be made out, which was surprising, given how thin the walls were.

Another odd happening was how many people seemed to be coming and going from the porch of the upper Villa Rosa apartments. Even more strangely, they were all headed to Maou's room. The thought of Emilia being locked in that small apartment with the Devil set Suzuno on edge, but not because she was worried for Emi's safety, per se.

After the Asmodeus incident, Emilia had become rather distant from Suzuno, which had worried her to no end. Emi was a strong young woman, sure, but she was also human: she had succumbed to her emotions more than once, and with Rika's ordeal at the hands of that demon, Emilia was sure to be feeling some measure of guilt.

'Not to mention the way she and Sadao have been growing closer,' Suzuno thought suspiciously.

"Your move, there, sweetheart," said a rather unhappy voice from across her table.

It was, of course, Urushihara, and the two of them were sitting across from each other at Suzuno's rather cramped table. Her apartment was the same size as Maou's, but seeing as she was able to afford actual furniture, the entire space had a much more cluttered appearance.

Suzuno noticed that she was holding some cards, doing her damnedest to best the Fallen Angel in a battle of colors, numbers, and suits in a game he had called poker. It had made her more and more furious every time Lucifer won, and now he was calling her 'sweetheart'?!

For a moment, Suzuno's face was red, but before she could even manage to raise a bluster, her aquamarine eyes fell upon Urushihara's expression, and she silenced her disquiet. In truth, Urushihara wasn't even looking at Suzuno, nor did he really look all that interested in their game. He was staring absent-mindedly at the wall adjoined to Maou's apartment, his face rather blank, but touched with a hint of sourness as he handily whooped Suzuno in every game of poker they played.

"I'll call," Suzuno sighed, "and don't call me sweetheart."

"You got it, babe."

"Ugh," Suzuno groaned, disgusted by both the Fallen Angel's snark and her eighth subsequent loss in a row.

Meanwhile, the stars had begun to show in the sky, just barely visible in that part of Tokyo, and up on the roof of the Villa Rosa Sasazuka, the Demon King and the Hero were happily watching them, laying down with a pizza box between them, still fairly dizzy and thickheaded as they watched the night sky.

"So, what's that one," Maou asked, pointing to a star that seemed to be slowly moving across the sky.

"That's a jet," Emi laughed.

Maou had been excitedly pointing out shooting stars in an attempt to find one that they could wish upon, but Emi's overwhelming Celestial Force had proved quite catastrophic to that plan, as she could sense the heavenly bodies, and determine whether they were genuine, or simply airplanes.

"Damn it," Maou laughed, "I'll just have to keep trying, I guess."

"Hey Maou," Emi asked thickly, her mouth full of pizza, "what would you wish for if you had one wish, and could get anything you wanted."

'You,' Maou's inner self said simply, ignoring everything that was wrong in both worlds simultaneously.

"Dunno," he said out loud, his chest hot as he felt the alcohol burn through him, "maybe unlimited magic power."

"Selfish, as usual." Emi chided jokingly.

"Well, look at all I've been able to do with the little magic I've gotten in this world," Maou said quickly, "I've banished Noble Demons, and Archangels, both Loyal and Fallen, I've fixed skyscrapers, repaired millions of yen in damages… and I once saved a bunch of humans from a swarm of angry crocodiles. Not to mention all the stuff I managed to help _you_ with… so yeah, unlimited magic would be awesome."

"Ewww, why are you always so thoughtful and caring now," Emi said, rolling away from the Demon King, "if that's the way you plan on ruling when I'm the Demon Queen, you might as well have someone draw up the divorce papers."

"Now sweetie, l think you're just being a little unreasonable," Maou mumbled, his voice shaking with mirth, "remember, the Demon Marriage Counselor said you have to be supportive of my ideas."

Emi laughed, as did Maou. It was a hearty, hefty laugh that left the both of them in tears as they fought for air. Emi finished laughing first, the thought of her long and painful ordeals at the hands of the church fresh in her mind while Maou, the Demon King, allowed himself the time to laugh it out. He let his mirth grow and fester like a disease as he struggled to draw breath.

"Maou, are you alright? Maou?"

His laughter turned into a violent cough, thanks to his lack of proper hydration. He coughed violently into his hand, feeling a sick cacophony of vomit and phlegm fall into his hand. He looked at his hand, and to his surprise he found blood on his palm.

As a demon, Maou's ability to heal was extraordinary, and when he'd had his full power, he was nigh immortal, and unstoppable. Now, drained of his magic with only his natural human body, he found that the alcohol's effects were more potent that ever… sadly, this also included the negative effects.

"Maou, did you just cough up blood," Emi asked sharply, gripping his wrist so he couldn't hide the proof from her.

"Only a little," Maou giggled, "hurt like hell, but I'll be fine."

"Maou, you're obviously not ok," Emi said as Maou's coughing fit redoubled upon itself, becoming worse and worse by the moment.

"Awww, you're so cute when you're worrying about my health," Maou jeered, expecting Emi to glare at him, or to simply roll her eyes and detach, as she usually did whenever Maou insulted her. It was sort of their thing, so imagine his surprise when instead, Emi flicked him on the ear and gazed headlong into his glazed crimson eyes.

"Ow! What the hell Emi?! Didn't we just go over this with the alarm clock thing?!"

"Idiot," she said loudly, "I'm always worrying about your health! And it isn't just me, but Ashiya. Urushihara, Chiho, even Suzuno! They are all worried about you! All the time! It was different when you weren't coughing up blood, but you must be completely drained of magic power, so there's no chance you can heal yourself!"

"I don't need healing," Maou said thickly, grabbing his phone from his pocket and opening it, "I just need more pizza and… booze. Shit."

As he tried to key in the number for the liquor store, which was closed anyway, he fumbled and dropped his phone. He watched sadly as the old flip phone slid down the roof and fell. A part of him hoped it might land on the balcony, but instead a long second passed before the sound of plastic on concrete broke the silence.

"Ok, not only are you cut off from drinking, I'm healing you," Emi said abruptly, pinning Maou down to the roof and straddling him, her hair tickling his nose as she leaned over him, smiling gleefully.

"Not a good idea," Maou slurred, "remember, I'm a demon, Celestial Force will make things worse."

"Well, you have no magic left, and I have too much, so even if you get sick, or get super intoxicated, the fact remains you should stop coughing up blood."

"Ahehehe, I don't think there's gonna be any blood to cough up," Maou laughed as Emi gripped his wrists and sent waves of healing magic into his body through their contact.

"Now what are you talking about," Emi asked, looking into Maou's eyes, her brow furrowed as she concentrated with all her might.

"Well, all the blood seems to have been redirected to… other areas," Maou sighed, resigning to his fate as he let his head hit the roof with a soft bump.

"I was _so_ hoping that was just my imagination," Emi said, acutely aware of the Demon King's subconscious reaction to Emi straddling him, "how are you still managing to get one… I thought alcohol sort of…stunted that kind of thing?"

"It does," Maou chuckled, closing his eyes and focusing with all his might as he thought of anything except Emi, and her incredibly close proximity to him.

"So, I suppose I should be flattered I can still get that kind of a response from you when you're piss drunk," Emi said, the thought making her laugh nervously.

"Ahahahaaa, it seems the Demon King's still got it," Maou said satisfactorily.

"Well, don't get too frisky," Emi said, "cause I'm all done healing you!"

"Thanks Emi, I appreciate it. Really."

"Oh, trust me, I can feel _exactly_ how much you appreciate it."

It took Emi an unprecedented half hour to remove the immobilized Maou from the rooftop and back down into the apartment, by which time he was so tired, she decided to just lay down with him, and Maou was so drunk he mistook Emi for a pillow and pulled her as close to him as possible.

Emi didn't object to it though, and the longer they lay together, the more Emi felt a warm, comfortable feeling flow through her. It was like the burn of the sake she and Maou had drank earlier, but it was more pure and wholesome, and it made her smile to herself as she slowly drifted off to sleep, Maou snoring lightly behind her.

Chiho Sasaki sat up from her bed, her head pounding as she fought to go to sleep. She'd slowed her breathing multiple times, counted sheep, and done pretty much anything under the moon to try and get some rest, which was much deserved after her exhausting workday. She couldn't fall asleep though, no matter how hard she tried, as the thought of Kisaki's words had kept her awake.

 _"_ _Apparently, Maou is going through a break up. A pretty bad one, too."_

However, whichever way Chiho looked at it, that didn't make sense. Maou had deliberately pulled away from any and all romantic opportunities because of his title, and his demonic origins, so why would he lie to Ms. Kisaki?

Then again, there was always the off chance that he wasn't lying.

That was the final nail in the coffin for Chiho Sasaki's attempt at sleep. It was also the kick in the pants she needed to spurn her out of her comfort zone, and her life as a responsible student athlete. Chiho was never the kind of girl to come home late, and when she did, it was only by a few minutes. Her parents knew she was an outstanding young woman, and they trusted her to make the right choices, which meant drinking, drugs, and other such indiscretions posed no threat to her willpower.

Now, however, things were about to change as Chiho got dressed and looked at the clock, noting the lateness and the indecency of her actions.

"11:29 p.m., huh," Chiho asked the clock mockingly, "I suppose it's gonna be a long day tomorrow."

She dressed in long sleeves and pants, scribbled a note and left it on her bed in case of an emergency, and then she quietly tiptoed out of her room, down the hall, and out the front door, quietly locking it behind her as she made her way to her destination: the Villa Rosa Sasazuka.

'I can't believe I snuck out of the house so late,' Chiho thought, so consumed by her actions that she didn't even register the dark outline of her destination in the distance, 'if I can't get back without being noticed, mom and dad are gonna…'

Actually, now that she thought about it, they may very well not do much of anything. After all, Chiho was an 'A' student, and on one occasion, she'd actually gotten as 'S', though that was in physical education, when they'd been practicing archery.

Even if Chiho were grounded, even if her parents felt the need to take her phone away and forbid her from being around Maou and the other Ente Islans, Chiho would be comforted by the fact that she'd done the right thing in looking out for her friends, for that was what her late night visit was about. Sure, she was curious as to Maou's predicament, but first and foremost, she was concerned for the wellbeing of her friends, and that thought was what gave her strength when she paused before Maou's door with her hand raised, ready to knock once her nerves had calmed a bit.

"There's no need to knock," a quiet voice said from behind Chiho.

She whipped around, only to find someone tall, blonde and thin standing right behind her.

It was Ashiya, or at least, it looked a lot like him. He looked strangely bored, or perhaps disinterested as he held up the house key for Chiho to see.

"You scared me," Chiho said, holding her chest as she tried to slow her racing heart, the beat of which had skyrocketed with her fright.

"Apologies," Ashiya said rather carelessly, not looking all that apologetic, "I only came for a change of clothes myself."

"A change of clothes… did you move out or something?"

"Wait a moment," Ashiya said, his eyes alight, "you mean, you don't know, no one told you?"

"Told me what?"

"Come inside and have a seat," Ashiya murmured, turning away and fiddling with the lock so as to hide his pain from Chiho, "I'll make some tea and catch you up. I'm sure my lord would've done so but he's been… preoccupied."

Ashiya's face fell as he saw Emilia and Satan Jacob in their humans forms, curled up under the covers as they slept peacefully.

Chiho made to enter the room, and Ashiya stepped aside, busying himself with the teapot. Chiho couldn't see through the darkness quite as well as Ashiya, but it didn't take her long to figure out the situation, and when she did, a lead ball seemed to have fallen into her gut.

"So, Maou and Emi are-"

"Sleeping," Ashiya reminded Chiho, whose voice was rather high pitched and wavering with every word, "and no, Chiho, they are simply sharing a bed. Nothing else had happened. I can sense as much."

Chiho was tempted to walk over and give the both of them a good kick to wake them up before violently shaking them both and demanding an explanation. She drowned out this sudden urge, however, in the face of Ashiya's grim attitude.

A cold hand suddenly gripped her heart as Ashiya thrust a hot cup of tea into her hand and gave her a meaningful stare, gesturing for her to take a seat at the table. Why was Ashiya so tired and contrite looking? Why was he so grim? What sort of circumstances would lead to the Devil and the Hero, mortal enemies both, to share their body heat in such an intimate way?

"Did…. Did someone die, Ashiya," Chiho asked in an undertone, tears filling her eyes as she wondered what was going on. Was it Urushihara, or Suzuno? What had happened, and to whom?

"No, no one has died," Ashiya said, looking as if he wished it were only that simple, "everyone survived the Bernael incident. No word was received from Raphael either…. No, there was another incident, seemingly independent from the first."

"Another Archangel," Chiho asked, the strangeness of the word making her extremely aware of her tongue for some reason.

"No. This time it was a demon. In truth, it was a contender for the Demon King's throne in centuries passed," Ashiya said, taking a long swig of his boiling hot tea and showing no sign of intolerance to it.

"So it was one of Maou's competitors," Chiho said wondrously, looking over at the shape of Maou and ignoring Emi's form next to him.

"Precisely," Ashiya said in hushed tones, "and Asmodeus, this other Demon King, used one of Emilia's friends to get to Emi, and thereby get to Maou."

"One of Emi's friends?"

"Rika Suzuki."

"R-Rika," Chiho asked quietly, the bright, friendly face of her acquaintance flashing behind her eyes.

"Yes. Apparently, he'd been feeding off of Rika's sexual energy in order to grow strong and defeat Maou."

Chiho furrowed her brow at Ashiya, and for a moment, she thought about telling him off for speaking so bluntly, but then she thought about how they were both sitting down and enjoying tea as they discussed current events, and she also noticed how Ashiya's words made him feel no embarrassment. Perhaps there was a mutual respect there that Chiho had missed. She was certainly old enough to be spoken to about such topics, regardless of their indecency.

"Why tell me all this," Chiho asked.

"I don't do it to cause offence," Ashiya said, "but it is imperative information, and ties in with what I'm about to say. Besides, you humans are told of reproduction from quite a young age, and you have always been a very mature young lady. You being here, looking out for your friend, is only further proof of that. I suppose you could say the two of us are of a kind. We are the ones whom people take for granted, we provide care and support, and anything else our loved ones may need. And albeit what anyone may say or do, we will always be there for the ones we cherish."

After a moment, the real reason Ashiya had come to the Villa Rosa became apparent. He was there to check up on Maou, and make sure that he was ok, because regardless of the occurrences between them, there was too much history there to ever permanently separate them.

"Yeah," Chiho agreed, feeling a strange sense of attachment to Ashiya, "you're right."

"Anyway, to continue my explanation, Asmodeus was defeated, barely, and Rika was severely traumatized after his death. He had made her into a Thrall, and so when he was finally dispatched, Rika lost much of her strength. That is also around the time she revealed to us that she had been abused by him in an inappropriate manner."

"In an inappropriate… wait, you don't mean he…."

Chiho let the question hang, and instead of answering verbally, Ashiya simply nodded, looking at the table as his eyes became bright with tears.

"Oh my god," Chiho said, hanging her head as she herself tried not to shed tears.

"Rika is still alive," Ashiya said, wiping his eyes upon his sleeve and quietly clearing his throat, "but her mind is in shambles, and her body is not even strong enough to stand. She will be institutionalized until I have managed to sufficiently heal her body, and even then, she had resolved to deal with the demons of her mind on her own.

"I never knew she was so brave," Chiho said.

"Bravery had nothing to do with it," Ashiya responded, "Rika is acting out of self-preservation. She is far stronger than most people give her credit for, but she will not have an easy recovery."

"I'm sorry," Chiho said, "I didn't mean to make you upset… and I know it doesn't really change anything but… I hope she gets better soon."

"I apologize," Ashiya said, "I didn't mean to dismiss your kindness. You're words are appreciated, and I'm sure Rika would love to have you visit. My lord took the time to visit her, but it turns out he was there on the Hero's orders. Apparently, they believe stripping her of her memories is a good idea."

"No way, she can't just forget all that, you didn't let them-"

"No, I didn't," Ashiya said darkly, "I stood my ground, and told him that I would defend Rika first and foremost. I didn't expect consequences of this magnitude, however."

He glanced around the apartment, noting the empty pizza boxes, sake bottles and other miscellaneous garbage. He sighed and shook his head before smiling at Chiho.

"It seems he has even evicted that worthless Fall Angel as well," Ashiya said with a small laugh, "I sense him over in Bell's room."

"Wow… I didn't know Maou was so torn up about all this," Chiho said, finally understanding the real reason he'd been upset at work.

"In truth, I think he blames himself for this entire ordeal," Ashiya sighed, looking over at the slumbering form of his King in a knowing fashion, "but instead of acknowledging that, he simply decides to be angry with me for standing up to him. I think he feels responsible for Rika's condition as well, as I guess he and Emi had a run in with her prior to their date."

"Wait, Rika set up the date?"

"Yes, of course, she came up with the idea, and provided them service, free of charge," Ashiya explained.

"So it was a trap," Chiho asked.

"It would appear that way," Ashiya said, "though there is no way to be sure. Rika refuses to speak of her time with Asmodeus, and I am more than willing to spare her that pain for a time when she is willing to speak of it."

Chiho smiled, and Ashiya raised as eyebrow at her, watching as she swirled her tea.

"What's so amusing?"

"Oh, nothing," Chiho said, "it's just that you're so kind and caring, Rika is lucky to have you around. Maou is lucky too."

"I appreciate the compliment," Ashiya said, smiling as well; Chiho noting how genuinely pleased he looked.

Chiho raised her glass and held it out to Ashiya, who raised his own without question.

"Here's to you," she said quietly, "and all you've done for your friends."

"And here's to you as well," Ashiya added politely, "for being the glue that holds this little dysfunctional family together."

Chiho gasped at Ashiya's overly kind words before smiling and taking a sip of her tea, which was now cool enough to drink without burning her tongue.

They sat together in a comfortable silence, listening to the slow, steady breathing of Maou and Emi.

'It seems Ashiya was right,' Chiho thought to herself, 'the both of us are more alike than I'd ever thought. Providing support and care wherever it's needed.'

"You know what, Ashiya, I can watch over these two for a few hours while you go and make sure Rika's ok. She'll need you now more than ever," Chiho offered.

"That's very kind of you," Ashiya said, "but will you be alright here?"

"I may not be from Ente Isla, but I'll be fine. Trust me."

"I do… farewell then, Chiho, and thank you."

Ashiya grabbed a small bag of clothes before standing and bowing to the high schooler. With a final supportive smile at Chiho, Ashiya finally left, leaving the young human woman alone with two drunken, slumbering beings from another world.

"Now then," Chiho said, looking out over the mess that was the Devil's Castle, "let's see what we can do about all this clutter."

When Maou awoke in the morning, he found himself frightfully lucid, as if the alcohol in his system had faded away from his intense healing from Emi the night before. In truth, his head was so clear, that right after noticing how he and Emi were sleeping together, again, he noticed that someone had been in his apartment. All the garbage from yesterday was cleared away, and upon the table sat his brand new laptop, complete with all the miscellaneous garbage contained in the original package for it, and a note, signed in large, swooping figures, by Chiho.

Maou's first instinct was that Chiho had seen his compromising position with Emilia and had written a note about never wanting to see him again, but to his astonishment, the note said that she had cleaned the apartment and even used a little of her own money for some basic groceries.

 _Sorry I showed up so late with no prior notice, but I was worried about you because of your behavior at work. Ashiya explained everything, and had I known so much had happened since I'd last come over, I would've offered to help in any way I can. Seeing as your ordeals have already passed, I've done what I could to ensure you don't have much of a mess. The packaging and receipt for your laptop was gathered and brought to the table so that you can repackage and return it if need be. I've picked up all the garbage and prepared breakfast for both you and Emi. I've also set up a meeting time for you, Maou, with your Generals, Alciel and Lucifer. They will be waiting for you after work, along with everyone else from Ente Isla. Anyway, I'm tired and I've done all I can, so I'll see you the both of you after you get off work!_

 _PS, I noticed you were out of food so I got some necessities. Keep better stock from now on!_

 _Chiho_

Thanks to his strangely clear head, Maou felt a unique sense of guilt and shame from Chiho's note and her inconvenience. How could he have been so stupid to simply forget to tell her about all that had occurred?

With a sigh, Maou made to lift the teapot from the stove, only to find that fluids were sloshing around within. Taking off the lid, he found several green tea bags, and sitting in a lump at the bottom was a ginger root.

Separately, green tea and ginger tea could fight headaches and nausea respectively, but together, they would make one hell of a hangover cure. Maou lit the burner beneath the tea and then turned to look at Emi, who had curled up into the fetal position and stolen most of the blankets now that Maou had vacated his post next to her.

Maou's stomach turned as he thought about how much his relationship with the Hero had grown and warped over the past couple years, for that is how long the both of them had been in Tokyo. Miraculously, after all that time spent together, after all the fights and bloodshed and tears, Maou and Emi were both still alive.

"Emi," Maou breathed, as if she were someone he'd just met and he wanted to know more about her. There was a whole other side to the red headed hero, and Maou was determined to learn more about it. What was Emi's favorite color? What did she like to do for fun? So much and more pervaded Maou's consciousness that he couldn't help but smile to himself.

In a certain sense, he had grown out of his obsessive need for her, and he'd found himself hopelessly in love with her. He had to lose his old self to do it, but he was the Devil, so he managed to pull it off and bounce back.

"Maou," Emi said quietly, her eyebrows knitting together as she curled her body into a ball. Tears began to leak from her eyes as she slowly began to cry.

"Maou," Emi cried quietly, her nightmares once more holding her hostage.

The very same person Emi had spoken of leaned over her carefully and held out a hand. It must've been Alciel who'd transferred the demonic magic power to him, nevertheless, Maou was grateful. He closed his eyes and tried to block out the sounds of Emi's whimpering as he forced himself through her skull and into her nightmares, determined to root out the cause of Emi's problems.

"Emilia the Hero."

It was a title she'd grown accustomed to in Ente Isla, but it made her feel rather awkward as of late, and the dark voice that spoke it now sent a bolt of nervous lightning down her spine. She was standing in the Edo Tokyo Museum, which was once more in shambles, and before her stood everyone she cared for, along with a few people whose company she could've done without.

Suzuno, Chiho, Ashiya, and Urushihara were there, all of them with black eyes. Rika and Asmodeus were also there, the both of them with unsettling maroon gazes, and finally there was Maou, who looked just like he had in Ente Isla, and Bernael and Beliel, who also had black eyes.

It was strange, seeing so many people from her past and present before her, and something about it made her incredibly sad, but before she had the time to be sad, she found herself walking up to Maou, who glared at her with dislike as she came.

"Maou, it's me."

He didn't seem to understand. For a moment, Emi thought he might be a different Demon King, from a time before he and Emi had met, but the he gripped Emi by the throat and lifted her from the floor.

"M-Maou," Emi stammered, "why are you doing this?"

"Die, Emilia."

Maou threw Emi across the museum, but before she could hit the wall

BAM- Bernael had appeared, and sank a fistful of dark energy into Emi's stomach, pushing her back across the length of the museum as Emi coughed up blood.

Up next was Beliel, who slashed out at Emi violently, causing tremendous pain as Emi was launched in a different direction. They each took turns doing that: violently attacking Emi until she was bloodstained and filthy.

Suzuno had crushed every bone in Emi's body with her hammer, and now all that was left were the only two odd ones out. Asmodeus and Rika, both with maroon eyes instead of black, stood in wait as Emi was carried in their direction by the force of the last blow.

When Rika caught her by the neck and held her aloft with superhuman strength, it was all Emi could do to apologize over and over to her friend.

"I'm sorry, Rika," Emi pleaded, "I love you like a sister!"

"Hmph," Rika snarled, "we'll see about that."

Rika slammed Emi down onto the cold, hard floor, making Emi's body ache all over. Aside from the numbing solace of the ice cold floor, Emi found no comfort in her position. Slowly, delicately, Asmodeus began to strip himself of his waiters outfit, leaving nothing on. Everything below his waist was shrouded in darkness, but the nightmare didn't end there, no matter how badly Emi wanted to wake up.

"Just relax," Rika said soothingly, unbuttoning Emi's shirt and pants before tugging them off quite easily, "it hurts at first, but it gets better."

Months might have passed since the dream had begun, and Emi honestly couldn't tell. In fact, the only real way for Emi to gauge time was to look at Rika's belly, which seemed to slowly be swelling.

"Rika," Emi said tearfully, "no."

"Yes," Rika moaned, pinning Emi's arms in place as Asmodeus bent down, his lips curled into a seductive smirk as he inched himself closer to Emi, like a wolf bending down to partake of a kill.

"ENOUGH!"

Emi looked up, and he saw a strange sight before her. Spinning in the center of the museum was a column of black and crimson demon magic, and it felt so vivid and alive that Emi wasn't sure whether it was real or not.

"Maou," Emi called, recognizing the power, and the glowing scarlet orbs within the inferno.

"Get away from her, NOW!"

As if they were allergic to this new presence, everyone hissed at the pillar of demon magic, and withdrew into a single dark corner. There was silence for a moment before the tornado of power spiraled into nothingness, and from within it stepped a version of Maou that still looked human. He brought back memories of private conversations, shopping sprees, broken hands, bad dates, and an acutely fuzzy warmth, but Emi couldn't have been gladder to see him looking so normal.

"Maou!"

"Emi, get up, why are you still on the floor!?"

"What?"

Emi hadn't even noticed it, and the moment she grabbed Maou's outstretched hand, it was like she'd lifted the wool from her eyes. Her clouded judgement, which had allowed her to be thrown around so easily, was a façade. She the Hero, no Darkness could hold her!

"Not unless that Darkness was a part of you," whispered a voice that made Maou turn his head sharply.

"No way," Emi said, peering into the shadowy corner, into which her collective demons had faded.

"Way," her own voice responded.

From within the dark corner of the museum came the sound of high heels, click-clacking along the tile floor quite loudly in the oppressive silence. Striding along gracefully upon said high heels was a woman with long magenta hair, pitch black eyes, a cocky smile, and Emi's face.

"I was wondering when you might catch on," the black eyed Emi said, "I wasn't exactly inconspicuous, was I?"

"Who are you," Emi spat furiously, now given a target upon which to unleash an entire week's worth of dread.

"Emi, meet the darkness you've shunned your entire life," Maou said, "the source of every single one of your faults, inhibitions, and insecurities. This is your human side."

"Ah, ah, aaaahhhh," the evil Emi said, holding up a finger and wiggling it back and forth, "I am not just the humanity you abandoned, I am the angel you left behind to seek perfection."

"What," Emi and Maou said in unison.

"Well, how can I put this… I suppose I'll have to start at the beginning," Emi's shadow said, her black eyes never blinking, and never leaving her other self, "angels are strange, because we are given incredible powers and duties so that we may keep tabs on a wide variety of things. Some are angels of love, like Raphael, others are angels of evil, like Beliel, and others still are-excuse me- were- angels of light, like Lucifer."

"And your point is?"

"I'm getting to that," Emi hissed, "anyway, each angel has their own house of authority. They appear as guardians in the bible, but their original purpose, the real reason angels were created in the first place, is to be soldiers. Each and every one of us is born with this killing instinct. We were created with fair form, the strength and capacity to kill, and the task of ruling. I am the part of you that you left behind to become the Hero. I am the other side of the coin, in regards to you being Savior of the Human Race."

"So, what you're saying is-"

"I'm essentially an Angel of Homicide," the black eyed Emi said, "oh, and please, call me Emilia."

The more Emi looked at her counterpart, the more she found things that set them apart. Emi, for instance, rarely wore make up, and when she did, she only wore a little eyeliner, and on occasion, some lipstick.

The other Emi was wearing so much blush, eyeliner, eyeshadow, and such a dark shade of lipstick that it almost looked as though she'd painted on her face. Something else that underlined their differences was the fact that Emilia had Angelic wings that were as black as obsidian, and seemed to be made of stone or metal rather than feathers. The final major difference was in their taste in clothing. Emilia sported a black leather leotard and thigh high boots that left a few inches of pale skin showing seductively from her thighs.

"Are you the one causing all of Emi's nightmares," Maou asked, looking as though he was glad to have finally found the source, though she hadn't confirmed his suspicions.

"Obviously," Emilia scoffed, "what, did you think Bernael had lodged himself in here or something? That weakling opened a door that Emi had sealed shut for some time. I believe you both saw my handiwork…."

They had. Bernael, the fallen angel who had acquired centuries worth of power, had been thoroughly thrashed by Emilia, whose darkness, it seemed, was simply begging to come out. The memory of Bernael's broken and bruised face was enough to convince both Emi and Maou of her power, however, and so they both stood there, staring as her as she crossed her arms and grinned back at them.

"Chu," Emilia scoffed, her smile widening, "why are you both just standing there? C'mon, hit me with everything you've got!"

"Emi," Maou whispered in an undertone, "we need to be careful here."

"No shit, sherlock," Emi retorted quietly, "I suppose you can feel the power coming from her too, right?"

"Yeah," Maou said, "and if I had to guess, it's a nearly perfect fusion of Angelic and Demonic magics, though how it was managed is beyond me."

"You guys don't want to start things off," Emilia asked sadly, faking a downtrodden expression, "very well…"

Emilia lunged, faster than the eye could see, and in less than a second she had crossed the room, and struck both Maou and Emi across the face, sending them flying as she shook her hand to alleviate the pain in her knuckles.

"You people and your solid jawlines," she murmured, "is it so hard to eat a freakin' sandwich every now and again?!"

"Emi," Maou said, "take my hand."

She did as she was bidden, and with a grunt of effort, Maou threw Emi at Emilia, taking the angel aback as she blocked every attack Emi could throw.

"You've grown so strong," Emilia laughed brightly as she blocked every punch, kick, and swing of the Evolving Holy Sword, Better Half, "but you still don't have what it takes to defeat me!"

"Yes, I do!"

Emi slashed with the holy sword, and instead of pushing the blow aside, or dodging it, Emilia drew a sword of her own. It was just like Better Half, except it was a curious shade of violet, ranging from the black handle to the nearly pink tip of the blade. The only real difference was the lack of a shining purple jewel in Emilia's sword. When they clashed, the world about them seemed to shake and shiver, and their blades stuck together like magnets. Still, the contact barely lasted a moment, and their fight continued. Each time their blades met, they pried them apart with a series of wrenching pulls before swinging them at each other once more.

Maou pulled himself from the shadowy wall he'd been embedded in, coming out of his stupor to find slithering black tendrils sliding across his skin and enveloping him like horrid snakes. With a war cry, he charged forward and joined the fray, the tendrils snapping before his momentum.

"On your left," he hollered, causing both Emi and Emilia to look to their lefts. Emi, who was standing with her back to Maou, saw a glittering red sword in her peripheral vision and she ducked. Emilia, on the other hand, looked away from the blade, only to realize her mistake a moment too late.

Maou felt the blade hit something, and he smiled, sure that he had landed a blow.

"So, I suppose you guys are finished getting warmed up," asked a bored voice.

It was Emilia, who had raised her stony wings, and used them to catch the blade, holding it inches away from her skin as Maou pushed against her with all his might.

'If only I had my broom with me,' Maou thought to himself, thinking of how it helped him during his battle with Sariel.

"Looks like it's my turn again," Emilia smiled, using one wing to push the blade past her and get in close, while her other threatened to lop him in two.

"Oh, no you don't," Emi roared, coming up from behind Emilia, and releasing an explosion of Celestial Force from her body.

Her sword came alive with dancing, white hot flames as she raised the sword high, and then brought it down on the wing her evil self was using to attack Maou.

"HiiiYAAA!"

"AUUUUUURGH!"

"Aw, god dammit!"

The wing was sliced clean from Emilia's body, a strange, metallic ringing piercing the air as it fell. The wing hit the floor with a crash, and much to Maou's dismay, landed upon his foot, causing him to curse while Emilia shrieked in agony.

"AAAAAAGHAAAA!"

"What the hell are you screeching about," Maou bellowed hysterically, tears in his eyes as he tried to lift the wing off of his foot, "I think you just broke my foot, and all the toes on it!"

Emilia turned, lashing out wildly at Emi, who had retreated to a safe distance and was now trying to look past her counterpart to make sure Maou was ok.

"How you holdin' up, Maou," Emi called out, dodging around Emilia as the angel hybrid continued to attack her.

"I'm in incredible pain," Maou shouted, trying and failing to stand as the sound of Emilia's shrieks echoed all around them.

"Would you please just SHUT THE HELL UP," Maou asked angrily, glaring at Emilia.

"Oh, I know you are NOT talking to ME," Emi retaliated, blocking blow after blow with her holy sword as she tried to avoid getting backed into a corner.

"No, not you, the other you!"

"This is getting confusing!"

"ARRRGHHAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"Shut up," Emi and Maou cried in unison.

From behind Emilia, Maou flew forward, a black shadow with glowing red eyes, his face twisted into a feral snarl as he cried out in agony. At the same time, Emi found an opening in her counterpart's delirious attack pattern, and she exploited it.

Two spurts of a curious violet ichor spouted from Emilia, her inane howling coming to an abrupt halt as two blades pierced her simultaneously. One was the sword of the Demon King, into which he'd poured as much magic as he could without compromising his mobility.

The other was the Evolving Holy Sword, Better Half, still burning with angelfire as the violet gem seemed to gleam in a satisfied sort of way.

On Emilia's flank was Maou, breathing heavily as he held his blade firm. At her twelve o' clock was Emi, who had taken a knee, and had safely ducked Maou's blade. As one, they pulled their swords free, and Emilia wobbled to and fro for a moment before falling to her knees.

"You can't kill me," she whimpered quietly, "I'm a part of you."

Maou took a knee as well, and he held a hand to his gut, gritting his teeth as he did so.

"Well, this sucks," he mumbled to himself, feeling blood pool in the back of his throat and drip from between his fingers.

Emi, much to her luck, had ducked beneath Maou's enormous demonic blade. Maou, on the other hand, wasn't quite so lucky, and had been stabbed by the holy sword, which Emi had been pushing to the limit in an attempt to defeat Emilia.

"Maou? Maou what- oh no," Emi said, feeling tears come to her eyes.

She marched over to where he was kneeling, and lay a hand on his shoulder, but quickly pulled it away when Maou groaned in pain.

"Oh, shit, Emi, this really hurts… aaaaaarrrgh," he panted, feeling the potent Celestial Magic creep through him like poison as he rocked back and forth, trying to keep calm as his vision blurred and his mind became unfocused.

A hand reached out and gripped Emi's ankle and she looked down to find her dark other-self looking up at her with a dignified, regal expression.

"Don't think you've won," Emilia breathed, "I'll still be right here."

She tapped her temple with her forefinger, and then with a soft smile, her body began to flake away into little pieces of golden light. They drifted away like whimsical fireflies, and the darkness that had once been the replicated Edo Tokyo Museum was now a place that was warm, sunny, and familiar, like a lazy summer dream.

"Maou," Emi asked, turning to look at the Devil, who was still hunched over in pain, "where… exactly… are we right now?"

"We're… we're currently in your head," Maou realized, "I came in here to save you from your nightmares!"

"And just who the hell gave you permission to come in," Emi growled, fixing Maou with an angry glare.

Much to Maou's surprise, he felt his injuries heal instantaneously, and all the pain he felt vanished like a thought, but that still left Emi's temper to contend with.

"Thanks for healing me, Emi! See? Is a simple 'thank you' _that_ hard? I mean, I did just help you beat the sole cause of your nightmares," Maou reasoned, pretty pleased with himself.

"That doesn't change the fact that…"

Emi held the bridge of her nose before turning away from Maou.

"Thank you. Seriously, I'm glad that's over… sorry I stabbed you, by the way," Emi added lamely, blushing as she looked about the vague dream room they were in.

"I'd say it was worth it… not sure I'd do it again though."

"Come into my head without my express permission and it's bound to happen," Emi laughed.

"So…"

"So…"

Emi turned to look at Maou, but something fiery in her emerald gaze made Maou look away and rub the back of his head. He looked all around, but he found no doors, windows, nor anything, all that remained was a barren, shapeless room suffused with sourceless beams of sunlight, the smell of wildflowers, and rich, fertile soil.

"How do we get out of here," Maou asked curiously, "I assume it's something to do with you, seeing as you're calling all the shots now."

"I suppose I could just destroy your mind, now that I've got you trapped here," Emi suggested, a roguish smile pulling at her lips.

"You could, but you don't particularly sound like you want too."

"Hmm," Emi pretended to ponder the idea for a moment before shrugging, "nah, too much work."

"So that just leaves the question of getting out of here."

"About that," Emi said, looking around the room, which was slowly becoming suffused with details.

It almost looked as though someone had taken a scene from Emi's memory, and they were beautifully painting it on the walls. A little house was visible upon one wall, and even as they watched, the individual boards and bricks that made it were quickly etched out, colored and shaded. All around them, the countryside of Emi's childhood home came to life.

"I'm not sure I want to leave," Emi said, her eyes fixated upon the little house in the distance.

Maou felt a strange sense of connection with Emi, and for a moment, he knew exactly what he was seeing.

It was the same as Maou's long, blissful nights spent dreaming of Emi, except instead of pouring all of herself into one thing, she had an entire parcel of land to fill in, and it was becoming more and more real by the second. Stalks of wheat, ready for harvesting, waved in a gentle breeze as spears of light rained from the skies.

Maou stared in awe at Emi, marveling her face as she gawked at the world of her own making. Her face lit up with joy as every detail came to life, leaving the both of them standing in a perfect recreation of Ente Isla.

"Incredible," Maou whispered.

Maou had spent weeks pouring his obsession with the Hero into a doll. Each night, he had thought of her and done his best to capture her features, but something never seemed quite right, there was always something that could be improved upon… except for the real thing, of course.

And now, Emi had built an entire little world, seemingly from nothing, with no detail spared and no effort. She had manifested her heart's desire and, to Maou's surprise, she'd done it in a matter of moments. For all they could see, hear, taste, touch, and smell, they might as well have been in Ente Isla.

With a start, Maou realized that this was the difference between true love and a simple obsession. It was that sort of power that made all the difference, and for the first time, Maou wasn't thinking of Emi in a physical way, and he wasn't just marveling at her beauty, he appreciated her depth and complexity. He wanted to know everything about her, and to ask her about her faiths and beliefs, her fears and her doubts, all of it. He wanted to stay there, with her, and ask about each and every stalk of wheat, just so he could get to know it from her point of view.

"It's beautiful," Maou said, staring at Emi as he felt something in his chest clunk into place.

"It is," Emi breathed, her eyes watering as she took it all in.

"Is this your home?"

Maou went to stand at Emi's side, and they looked out over the peaceful land together.

"Yeah," Emi smiled, wiping at her eyes, "this is where I grew up."

"C'mon," Maou laughed, taking one of Emi's hands in his and wiping away Emi's tears, "show me around! I wanna see where you lived before you were the Hero!"

She laughed, and after a moment, she allowed Maou to lead her further into the peaceful wheat fields, headed for the small house Emi had once called home.

In the quiet peace of the Devil's Castle, Villa Rosa Sasazuka, Emi and Maou were both still cuddled together. Both of their physical bodies wore soft smiles as they dreamt of a beautiful world of wheat fields, and far from their thoughts lay their cell phones, both of which had been ringing for some time as their respective bosses and colleagues tried to get in touch with them. Their bodies were both covered in sheens of sweat, and the inside of the apartment had been sweltering for hours. The teapot, which Maou had turned on before going to check on Emi, was still burning, and the bottom was now blackened and had begun to glow an insidious cherry red color.

The tea had evaporated, and the moist teabags and the ginger root at the bottom of the teapot had begun to blacken and burn, sending up smoke and setting off the fire alarm as Emi and Maou began to cough in their sleep.

Urushihara and Suzuno, who had been arguing over their lunch about whether or not they should go and break down the door of the adjacent apartment, suddenly paused, the smell of something burning filling their nostrils as they heard the fire alarm go off.

"What the hell," Lucifer asked quietly, getting up and walking calmly out of the apartment and over to his old place of residence, where smoke could be seen coming from under the door.

"Urushihara, no, don't go in there, they could be fighting," Suzuno said, gripping his wrist and noting how easily he pulled her along, even though he was walking quite leisurely.

"If they are fighting, they need to be stopped before they destroy the building," the fallen angel reasoned, "and besides, I haven't heard any movement from over there in some time."

"Fine," Suzuno said, glaring at Urushihara with frustration, "then… then I'm calling the fire department!"

"Yeah, that's actually a pretty good idea."

"W-Well now that you're agreeing with me, I've begun to have second thoughts," Suzuno said angrily.

Urushihara sighed, holding out a hand and forming a blade of violet light.

"Ok, then, don't call the Fire Department."

"Now I'm going to!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

Suzuno stomped away, angrily pecking the buttons of her phone in an attempt to contact emergency services while Lucifer exhaled and shook his head. He gripped the door knob and found it was locked, and so with a grin he slashed between the door frame and the door itself, slicing the latch and the locking mechanisms.

"Oops," Lucifer chortled to himself, stepping inside the smoky apartment and waving a hand before him to help disperse the smoke. He glared around the room, but he saw no traces of a fire, though this was definitely where all the smoke was coming from. On the floor, he saw a large lump beneath a pile of all the blankets currently owned by the Devil. Crouching down and covering his nose and mouth with his shirt, Urushihara crept forward and began to pull the blankets off of the lump.

"C'mon, Maou," Urushihara called to the lump, "rise and shine, there's a fire or something, and you- holy shit."

Beneath the blankets, wrapped together in a loving embrace were Emi and Maou, both of them sleeping without a care in the world. Lucifer jumped upon hearing a loud noise, and with a disgruntled look, he pulled Maou's ringing phone out of his pocket, looking at the caller I.D., which read Kisaki, Mayumi.

"Maou's boss," Urushihara asked, pocketing the cell phone without answering it and preparing to haul Maou and Emi out of the apartment, "did Maou have to work today? Or is he just that attractive to violent, angry women with drinking problems?"

"Ashiya?"

"Chiho? What's the matter?"

Rika's phone had rang, and after a few short words, Rika had passed the phone over to Ashiya. She turned back to her tray of rather unsavory hospital food, wishing she were back at home. It was hard to see for Ashiya, who'd spent every moment he could at Rika's side, but she was actually getting much better. She no longer looked disturbingly frail or weak, thanks to the physical therapy sessions she's been attending, and much of the food she was eating was proven to combat malnourishment, and help victims of anorexia and other disorders gain weight.

'I'd kill for Big MgCombo right now,' she thought sadly as she ate another cup of strangely flavored jello.

"We've been trying to get a hold of Maou, he didn't show up to work today! A no call/no show is really bad, Ashiya! Three strikes and you're out! And I think Ms. Kisaki is counting this as number two because of his absence yesterday," Chiho said hurriedly, using her own break time to try and figure out what was going on.

"He didn't show up for… I'll see about making a run over to Castle Overlord, Chiho, and I'll text you when I know what's going on… er, actually, I just remembered, I don't have a cell phone… Rika, would you mind if I- excellent, thank you," Ashiya said, bowing to Rika before rushing for the door, "I'll get back to you as soon as I can!"

"Hey, Ashiya," Rika called, "see if Emi's there, too, would you? I can't get a hold of her, and she didn't go to work today either. And could you bring me back a BigMg Combo?!"

"Sure thing, I'll be right back," Ashiya's voice echoed from down the hall.

"I love you," Rika called, feeling her heart flutter as she dove beneath the covers, unsure of whether or not Ashiya had heard her.

"I… I love you as well, Rika," Ashiya said to himself, stunned by the realization as he made it out of the building, and then headed for the nearest alley so that he could cloak himself and fly over to the Villa Rosa.

 **Well, well, well, we meet again, David Spade!**

 **Just kidding, I know you aren't David Spade, and I'm not the writer of that joke. I suppose you guys are sick of waiting for new chapters, and so am I, so I figured I'd post these. Yes, 'these', as in there is more than one... there are two. I know what you're thinking: 'Three or fours months, and you've only got two f*ckin' chapters?!' Yes, as it turns out, getting a new job and acclimatizing to it, along with a somewhat ridiculous schedule, will do that to your writing habits. I was hoping to have this fic all wrapped up, but whatever, I guess. Fortunately, I've gotten a friend to agree to do some editing on this story for me... unfortunately, I haven't been able to reach her, and I didn't want you guys to think I was dead. Again. Speaking of dead, my dog, who was the best boy ever, has passed away. Perhaps that's why this story is in shambles, but I'm feeling better about it. He had severe issues, and it's good to know he's not suffering, wherever he's at now.**

 **Moving on from my excuses, I can't help but feel like a hypocrite. I wrote this with the intention of giving you guys a quick and easy after-anime fix for Emi and Maou. Instead, this story has 100k+ words, and you guys are probably sick of seeing recurring themes. I tell you what, if you felt bad reading it, imagine how bad I felt publishing it.**

 **Ugh, and I feel like I was gonna tell you something, but I'm trying not to do that summarizing crap that I ususally do.**

 **Whatever, I'll just do the music portion now. Such as it is.**

 **Suitcase-Matthew Koma (good shit)**

 **You and Me-David Matthews Band (old but gold, perfect for MaouxEmi)**

 **Out of My Head-Alex Mansoor (derp)**

 **Black Sea-Natasha Blume (also derp)**

 **Hallowed- Lund ft. Emily Raymond (i brought you light, but you'd rather live in the dark)**

 **Leftovers-Dennis Lloyd (not about actual leftovers...)**

 **As per usual, thanks for reading! With any luck I'll have the next chapter up in a couple hours! To those of you that have taken the time to leave a review, thank you very much! Your words are inspiring, to say the least.**


	22. The Devil and the Hero: Reciprocated

The world within Emi's head was so incredibly vivid that Maou was having trouble keeping up with Emi's explanations of anything and everything that brought back memories. Not that Maou minded, he rather enjoyed seeing her so happy and lively as she explained details of her old life to Maou.

"We used to have some chickens here," Emi said quickly, "and they always used to scare me when I was little because one of them pecked me… pretty sure I still have the scar to prove it."

"Can I see it?"

Emi rolled her eyes and laughed.

"It pecked me on the butt!"

"So… can I see it?"

"Ugh, I don't know about you sometimes," Emi said, her smile never leaving as she took Maou by the hand, and dragged him up to the front door of the house. She laid her hand upon the simple wooden door, tracing its wrought iron supports, finally working her way down to the similarly iron handle.

All the time Emi thought about the door, Maou stood behind her, his hand still in hers as he tried to get a sense of what she was thinking. She smiled sadly at him, and finally he understood what the problem was. This was her sanctum sanctorum, her heart of hearts. Anything could lie behind the door, and whatever it was would likely lay her soul bare, and that vulnerability would be displayed to none other than the Demon King, the Devil of Ente Isla.

In a moment, her doubt was quenched, for just before she was about to ask for Maou to wait outside-

"It's ok, I can wait out here," Maou said, his hand loosening its grip on her own.

"No," Emi said suddenly, gripping Maou's hand tighter, "I want you to come in. Sorry if it's a little messier than I remember, but I can probably just think it clean or something."

Emi took a deep breath, turned the knob, and then pushed open the door to the small house, leading Maou inside as they remained in contact with one another.

Maou was expecting a swirling mass of emotions, much like he'd sensed before, when he'd been given the task of absorbing her overwhelming feelings. What he didn't expect to find was a simple Ente Islan farm home that was extraordinarily neat and organized.

'Perhaps it got better after we defeated Emilia the Angel,' Maou thought to himself, looking around in wonderment.

"It's not huge," Emi said, noting the rather blank look on Maou's face as he took it all in, "I mean, I wasn't born and raised in a castle or anything quite so romantic."

"I like it," Maou smiled, "it has a simple charm to it… I feel like I could just live here forever, completely untroubled by anything."

"That's… yeah, that's exactly right," Emi said, amazed at Maou's ability to compress all she was feeling into a few words.

The inside looked a bit like a fancier cabin, and Maou could tell that Emi's father, the man who'd likely built it, had put in quite a bit of time and effort. There were a few rooms so that Emi and her father didn't have to share a bed, but the room they stood in now was easily the largest, and it looked like a combination of a living room, dining room and entryway. It was by no means, as Emi had said, a castle, but it had all the amenities of home. There were books on heavy wooden shelves, and a desk for writing, there was a heavy fur rug in front of the stone fireplace, and there were even pictures on the wall.

"I suppose these are new," Maou asked, going over to look at them.

"Nope, father took me to a festival, and there was a mage there who used magic to make the pictures," Emi explained, "sadly it was the only year we got to go. I was too young for the first few, but then the war made it too dangerous for the performers to travel."

The war.

The war that the Demon King had started in his bid to rule Ente Isla.

"Maou?"

"Hmm?"

"Why did you invade Ente Isla? Why did you try to destroy the humans?"

Maou was taken aback by the question. In truth, he hadn't wanted the humans destroyed, he'd wanted to subjugate them and create a world in which demons could live without fear of each other; a true demon society, not just a bunch of wandering tribes with no laws or order.

"I was trying to make a better world for demons to live," Maou said simply, waiting for Emi's next question, as he felt there were more coming.

Emi was quiet for a time, as if waiting to see if Maou had anything else to say for himself. When no further explanation was forthcoming, she turned to look at Maou, who was browsing her father's small collection of books. They were rare commodities back then, but Nord Justina had collected them all the same whenever he'd gotten the chance. Still, Emi couldn't shake the feeling that there was a bit more to Maou's reasoning for attacking Ente Isla, but she didn't want to ruin the civility they were currently enjoying.

"Oh, wow!"

Maou turned around, holding a book in his hands as he flipped through the pages, each one of them just as he remembered.

"I've read this book," Maou said happily, "I read it when I was saved by an Angel! It was one of my favorites!"

Emi went to stand by him, and together they looked over the leather bound book, stitched through with fine silver letters.

"The King of the World," Emi asked, trying to remember the details of the story her father had read to her, so many years ago.

"Yeah, it's about a King who rules the entire world, but he isn't happy, so he locks himself away in his castle and disbands his royal court," Maou said, thumbing through the pages of the musty tome, "in the end his people rebel and try to destroy him, but he's saved when the woman leading the rebellion hears his story and takes pity on him. They end up married, and live together in his huge castle, with hundreds of servants and-"

Emi glowered at Maou and he gulped, closing the book with a snap before continuing.

"And they live happily ever after," Maou reiterated, smirking as Emi smiled in a satisfied manner.

Maou put the book back on the shelf and Emi dropped herself into the chair by the fire, the one she had always occupied whenever Nord had read her stories. It was so much smaller than she remembered, it made her sad in strange way.

"I could just stay here forever," Emi said quietly to herself, crossing her legs and grasping the arms of the chair.

"Emi, I don't think that's a good idea," Maou said suddenly.

He came and stood in front of her before taking a knee and looking her dead in the eyes. Emi frowned at him for a moment before he grasped her hand in both of his own and spoke with a sense of urgency.

"We need to leave, Emi," Maou said, "I sense something is off."

"What do you mean," Emi asked, wondering what Maou was on about.

They were together on a splendid summer day, surrounded by all the comfort they could have asked for. What could possibly be wrong?

"Listen, I still have some connection to my body… I think someone is trying to wake us up. Something is happening, we can't stay here forever, Emi. No matter how much we may want to. We've all gotta wake up sometime," Maou smiled grimly, standing up and offering Emi his hand once more.

"But-"

"C'mon, Emi," Maou said firmly, "we've got people waiting for us back in the real world, remember? We have to go to work!"

Little did either of them know it at the time, but work was the last thing they would be thinking about when they returned to their bodies. They awoke to the sound of sirens, the flashing of lights, and the smell of noxious smoke as they found themselves in the midst of an evacuation.

"Stay clear of the building until we've been given the 'ok' go inside," Maou heard a burly fireman say, speaking to a short purple haired young man who was positively irate.

"My laptop is still in there," Urushihara protested furiously, "you guys have to let me back in!"

Emi and Maou pushed themselves up from where they'd been lying on the concrete, both of them rather dumbfounded by the goings on.

"Oh, you're friends are awake," a man wearing a first responder uniform said to a rather unhappy looking girl in a kimono with aqua colored hair.

"Oh, you two are awake," Suzuno said with a smile, "that's good, because you both have-"

"-QUITE A BIT OF EXPLAINING TO DO, M'LORD," Ashiya hollered as he pushed his way through the crowd of evacuees and onlookers to get to the Demon King.

"Ashiya?! What are you doing here?!"

"Apparently you are incapable of using a clock, your majesty," Ashiya chided him, "it's already more than halfway into your shift, and you didn't even call in! From what Chiho was saying to me, Ms. Kisaki is having a meltdown, and she's about to- IS THE DEVIL'S CASTLE ON FIRE, YOUR HIGHNESS?!"

"What are you talking about- HOLY CRAP, THE DEMON FORTRESS IS ON FIRE," Maou shouted, watching billows of smoke roll from his window.

"Are you seriously just now noticing that," Suzuno asked, eyebrow raised as she grabbed Emi by the elbow and dragged her away with an iron grip.

"Ouch, Suzuno, what the heck are you-"

"Quiet," she hissed, "it's not safe to discuss things here!"

Emi allowed herself to be steered away from the crowd as Suzuno looked about frantically. They came to a nondescript alley down the block, wherein a few stray cats slunk away into the shadows as Emi and Crestia Bell entered it.

"Emilia, prepare yourself!"

"For wha-"

Fast as lightning, Suzuno lunged at Emi, who was at a disadvantage due to Bell's nimble footwork, even in a billowy kimono. Instead of landing a blow, however, Suzuno instead sent a painless shockwave of holy magic through Emi's body.

Suzuno stared at Emi intently, their faces only a few inches apart as they both took heavy breaths. Suzuno finally sighed and leaned against the wall of the alley, nervously running her fingers through her hair as she thought about what to say to Emi.

The Hero patiently waited; it wasn't every day she got attacked by her friends, after all.

"Emilia, the Hero," Suzuno said quietly, more to herself than to Emi, "Hero of Humanity, Champion of the Church, Destroyer of the Demon King... these are all things that people call you back in Ente Isla. So you can imagine my surprise when I find you this close to fornicating with _him_ in a restaurant!"

Suzuno held her thumb and forefinger a millimeter apart before looking Emi dead in the eye.

"I admit, I may have jumped to conclusions at first… who could've known Asmodeus would be behind it all… and then Rika was victimized by that demon…"

"What are you getting at, Suzuno," Emi asked, wondering why the Inquisitor was so nervous as she mumbled, and beat around the bush.

"Emilia, I have noticed you and the Devil getting… chummy," Suzuno said, "and don't get me wrong, I am glad to be rid of your constant bickering and never-ending arguments, but I can't help but wonder if your judgement has been affected."

"That's what you were doing," Emi realized, "you were checking to see if the Devil had possessed me, or influenced my thoughts!"

"Yes, and it wasn't easy, either," Suzuno said, looking as though she were slipping down the alley wall, "the amount of Celestial Force it takes to remove a demon's influence is no small amount, and I had to be most thorough."

"Listen to me, Suzuno," Emi said kindly, laying her hands upon Suzuno's shoulders, "I appreciate your help, but I have the Devil under control."

"Under control," Suzuno asked, "or… under _control._ "

"What's that supposed to-"

"Emilia," Ashiya's voice called, "Suzuno!"

Ashiya, at the behest of his lord and master, had looked everywhere to find the two women. Suzuno, bless her soul, had to be helped from the alleyway, due to her incredible lack of motor skills, and low magical energy. She clung to Ashiya and Emi, and spoke of friendship, happiness, and an abundance of udon noodles.

"Jusss soo glad you guys are all here," she said with a wide grin, "friends don't leave friends behind!"

"No," Emi said, looking at Ashiya with a raised eyebrow, "I guess they don't."

Together they returned to the crowd watching the husk of the Villa Rosa Sasazuka, emptied as it was by the evacuation. Half an hour had passed, and the minutes ticked by, unnoticed by Maou as he thought of his time spent with Emi.

'I've just scratched the surface,' Maou thought, 'there is so much more to be learned in regards to Emi… maybe if I was just up front with her I could-'

"Hey," Emi said, taking a seat next to Maou and wrapping herself in a blanket, noting how tired he looked as he shivered.

The day, which had been sunny and somewhat warm only a few hours ago, had become gray and solemn as they sat outside. The chill of the heavy fog surrounded them, and coupled with the extra warmth of sleep, the weather made Emi and Maou cold.

"Hey," Maou said suddenly, a grin splitting his face, "sorry my house isn't quite as nice as yours… I really do try to maintain it."

"You mean, when you're not burning it down," Emi asked slyly.

"Point taken," Maou laughed, going silent as a few firemen passed by, looking just about as lost as Maou felt.

"I wonder what's taking so long," Emi asked, scooting closer to Maou and sharing her blanket so as to steal what little body heat he had accumulated.

"Not sure," Maou admitted, "but the smoke is pretty much gone. I think they're assessing damages and figuring out whether or not the building sustained any structural damage."

"You know," Emi said quietly, "if it turns out you can't go back into your apartment… well, I've always got that spare room."

"You say that now," Maou said with a sour smile, "but I think you'll regret that offer soon enough… here he comes now."

The 'he' Maou had referred to was none other than the fire commissioner of the Sasazuka district, and an Archangel from Ente Isla that had been a cop the last time they'd met.

"Satan," Raphael said, nodding to Maou, "Emilia."

The both of them smiled at Raphael, who smiled back in a knowing manner that made Maou nervous. Raphael was, of course, an Archangel of love who looked more like a bodybuilder, except instead of a speedo, he wore a suit, a fine tan trench coat, and a permanent smile.

"Raphael," Maou said, nodding at the Archangel, "how have you been? And why are you the Fire Commissioner now?"

"Well, Heaven didn't like how integrated into society I was," Raphael admitted, "too many questions, and I had no answers I could give, you know? It's like, you stop a few people on the street and ask for a few fingerprints and all the sudden they want your badge number, your name, and your life story… though I wouldn't mind telling a few of them… some people could really use a good smiting right to the-"

"We've been pretty great, too," Emi said quickly, noting the Archangel's sour expression.

"'We've'," Raphael asked, his pink eyes flickering between Maou and Emi.

"The group as a whole," Emi said, rolling her eyes at the Fire Commissioner.

"That's good. I'd have thought Bernael would have left you all a little paranoid," Raphael said thoughtfully, "little bastard gave me some nasty dreams."

"Yeah, we had problems," Maou said defiantly, "but- well- we got better."

"Good to hear," Raphael said, smiling once more as he clapped Maou and Emi on their shoulders with his large hands.

"Hey, whatever happened to that piece of-"

"Emi," Maou warned the Hero, who'd been about to make a snide remark.

"Fine, what happened to that sadistic, psychotic-"

"You're not even trying to be polite," Maou noted exasperatedly, "are you?"

"-pathetic, evil, little rat, Bernael?"

"It doesn't do well to speak of the dead, especially so rudely," Raphael said quietly.

"Hmph," Emi said, crossing her arms, "it seems that Heaven still has some twisted version of justice after all."

"Careful," Raphael said, looking around the scene, and then up at the gray skies, a light roar of thunder betraying heaven's displeasure.

Maou glanced up at the sky, and then back and forth the intense line of eye contact between Raphael and Emi. The silence was only broken by the babble of the dispersing crowd as the sirens had been cut. Feeling as though the staring contest could extend past the end of time itself, Maou cleared his throat and brought both of the overwhelming gazes right onto himself. He remained relatively unfazed, however, as he'd stared right into the glowing eyes of his General, Malacoda, who had been rumored to be Death itself.

"Care to update me with the status of my Castle?"

"Right, yeah, I suppose you'd want to know about that," Raphael said, itching his stubble in an embarrassed manner and smiling brightly, "let's see… there was minimal damage, I guess someone just left the teapot on the burner and forgot to turn it off. Still, we'd like that room to remain barricaded until we can ascertain that it's safe for regular inhabitation. We'll provide state of the art safety testing, the lab for which is right here in Tokyo, so that should definitely speed things up…"

"S-so what you're saying… is that-"

"You'll have your apartment back in a few days, erm, provided we don't find any sort of serious contamination."

Maou felt as though his soul had been sucked clean out of him, been thoroughly doused in the icy northern waters surrounding Greenland, and then shoved right back into his body. A shiver ran the length of his spine as his knees wobbled and his stomach turned into lead.

"Way to go, Emi," Maou said, a resigned look upon his face, "you jinxed it!"

"Sire," Ashiya said, appearing behind Maou out of nowhere," I would suggest you call Ms. Kisaki and explain your situation before she takes your job. You should call your superior as well, Yusa."

Maou and Emi both gave looks of fright before checking their pockets and dashing off to make the calls to their respective bosses.

"I forgot, my phone is broken," Maou shouted, running in the opposite direction, after Emi.

"You may use Rika's phone," Ashiya said, catching Maou by the collar and thrusting the rather expensive looking phone into his hand.

"I appreciate it," Maou said, lookiing at the phone with some reverence, "but I don't know how to use this!"

"It's simple sire, you just… uuhhh….."

It seemed Ashiya was at a loss as well, and so with shame in their eyes, they brought the phone to the most technologically savvy person they know.

"Oh, so now you both come crawling back to me when you need something," Urushihara sneered, sitting next to Suzuno and looking rather angry, "well, you can forget it!"

"That's no way to talk to your King, much less your commander," Ashiya said angrily.

"Didn't Maou tell you," Lucifer asked, looking at Ashiya's fury in a disinterested manner, "he's essentially dissolved the old Demon Army. The new generals, from the drunken text Suzuno got last night, are a liquor store clerk, a pizza delivery guy, a laptop, and the Hero herself."

"YOU MADE THE HERO A DEMON GENERAL AND NOT ME," Alciel shouted, looking at Maou in disbelief as the Devil rubbed the back of his neck and smiled.

"Correction, he made the Hero the Queen of the Demon Empire," Urushihara laughed as Suzuno looked rather unhappy about something.

"Yeah, I was pretty blitzed," Maou said with a lame laugh before hardening his gaze, crossing his arms and standing up, straight and tall, much like a King should.

"As of this moment, the Second Demon Army is disbanded, along with all of its laws and decrees! The original Demon Army is also hereby reinstated, and with one, no two, no, wait, three new members!"

"Oh boy," Urushihara said, leaning back and waiting for his predictions to come true.

"The first new addition with be Emilia the Hero, and the second will be Crestia Bell, Inquisitor of the Church, and the third will be…. Chiho Sasaki!"

"My lord, she's a high school student… a human high school student… a human high school student from another world, entirely! What makes you think she'd want to subjugate-"

"Make peace," Maou corrected Ashiya.

"-er, yes, I meant 'make peace', of course," Ashiya finished, looking more confused by the second.

"And in regards to your question… you can ask her yourself!"

"MAAAAAAOOOUUUU!"

The very person they'd been discussing, Chiho Sasaki, appeared from between the sparse crowd and ferociously glomped the Devil, tears in her eyes as she looked everyone up and down.

"You're all ok, right," she panted, wiping at her tears as she looked around the group, "where's Emi? Is she ok? Oh no, she's dead isn't she? You're all dead and I'm just seeing your ghosts!"

She paused to take a deep breath, having apparently run their straight from the Hatagaya Station MgRonalds. She hadn't even changed out of her work uniform, but she jabbed her forefinger into everyone's stomach, and smiled when they all responded the way living, breathing people would: with indignant frowns and groans of displeasure.

"What's going on over here," Emi asked, returning from her overlong phone call with her boss.

"EMI," Chiho shrieked, tackling the redheaded Hero and sobbing uncontrollably.

"I'm just so glad you're alive!"

"We're all fine, it wasn't even really a house fire!"

"W-wha-what? There was a fire?!"

"No! Genius over there just forgot the teapot on the burner," Emi said, dusting herself off as she got up from the ground and pointed accusingly at Maou.

"While I don't appreciate the name calling, Emi is actually right for once," Maou said, "hey, Emi, could I use your phone? Urushihara refuses to help me use Rika's, so I haven't been able to call Kisaki."

"You haven't called Kisaki yet," Chiho shrieked, gripping Maou by the front of his pajamas, "what the hell are you thinking?! She'll have fired you already at the rate things are going!"

"Y-you don't really think she'd-" Maou began lamely.

"I _know_ she would," Chiho interrupted, looking deathly serious, "she's been looking for someone to fire so she can save money for the restaurant, and you're the most frequently rostered worker on the entire schedule, aside from her! I've already dialed her personal cell number… it's ringing!"

Chiho thrust her own cell phone at Maou and walked in frantic little circles, looking at Maou as though he had been condemned to death.

A click was heard, but no voice asked what was going on. All Maou heard was someone's slow and steady breathing from the other end of the line.

"Maaa."

It was Kisaki. Apparently, she'd correctly guessed who was on the other end of the call, and she sounded as icy and unforgiving as Greenland during the winter.

"Uh-um, yeah, it's me, Maaa-er-Maou, reporting in."

"This had better be good," Kisaki fumed, "after the break I gave you yesterday, I expected you to be back in here with high spirits and a strong work ethic."

"I know that, Ms. Kisaki-"

"Do you know what I do with weak competitors, Maaa," Kisaki asked.

"Y-you destroy them?"

"Correct. So, I suppose you can fathom what I do to those who turn their backs on my kind gestures and my good graces?"

Maou gulped, and he could swear that he could sense Kisaki smirk on opposite end of the call.

"That said, what am I to do with you… Maaa?"

To anyone else, they might've been enticed by Kisaki's calm, seductive voice, but Maou had fought against sirens before, and he knew the dangers of their sweet songs all too well.

"Ms. Kisaki, I was unable to come into work because there was a small fire at my house."

"What? Oh my goodness, Maaa, are you alright? Was anyone hurt?"

The change in her tone was instantaneous, like going from the coldest months of winter to the warmth of a bright summer day in seconds. In one moment, she was prepared to cut him out like the weakest link, and in the next…

"Maaa, I feel so bad for berating you!"

She was sweeter than honey.

"No, I completely understand," Maou said, "it's fine, really. And the good news is there doesn't seem to have been any extensive damage, so I may be able to move back into my apartment in a few short days."

"I would be more than fine with you crashing on my couch," Kisaki offered.

"Uh-well, I'm grateful for the offer, but I already have a place set up," Maou replied, looking at Emi and giving her a thumbs up while she looked conflicted about the situation.

"Huh, so I suppose you haven't just been idly sitting around in self-pity… it wasn't you that started the fire, was it?"

"Well, technically, yeah it was my fault, but it was entirely accidental… and are you accusing me of arson," Maou asked incredulously.

"Everybody has their breaking point, Maou," Kisaki said simply, "we all have something we'd do anything for… and yesterday it seemed to me like you'd do just about anything to make your girlfriend stay with you."

"About that," Maou said suddenly, his eyes glowing a fierce red color, "I was under the impression that what we talked about was confidential."

"It was," Kisaki said, a bead of nervous perspiration dotting her forehead.

"Chiho seems to disagree," Maou said with some hidden intensity.

"Eheheh," Kisaki laughed lamely.

Maou remained silent for a moment, and then-

"Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow for work, buh-bye," Kisaki said, speaking as fast as she could before hanging up the phone.

"Hey, I wasn't done talking to you, dammit! Chiho, call her back!"

Chiho, however, had vanished, presumably so that she wouldn't have to be present for the bad news she thought Maou was going to receive.

"I should really be going sire," Ashiya said suddenly, "I have to get food for Rika before I return."

"How is she," Emi asked suddenly, feeling extremely guilty about not having gone to visit her friend yet.

"She's recovering," Ashiya said shortly, "I think she'd be delighted if you all came to visit her this weekend. My lord, please try not to burn down the apartment in the future. So long, everyone!"

And just like that, their group had once more begun the process of splintering, leaving only Suzuno, Urushihara, Maou and Emi left, along with the firemen, and a few straggling onlookers.

"Well, the rest of building has been cleared for habitation," Raphael called over to them, "all that's left is your room, Maou! Our team will be here soon to get a head start on the swabbing and the gathering of evidence!"

"Let's all go to my room," Suzuno said, holding an icepack to head, "I need Holy Vitamin Beta, and someone soft to lay down on."

"Someone," Usurhihara asked.

"Something… don't antagonize me right now."

"Alright, fine," Urushihara said, "up we get."

He helped her to her feet, and then let her hold his arm as he slowly guided her over to the steps, which could be quite tricky to ascend with two people.

"You guys coming," Urushihara asked, looking over his shoulder to find Maou and Emi laughing, presumably at some inside joke.

"Yeah," Maou said, "just give us a couple minutes."

"No, c'mon, Maou," Emi sighed, "it's chilly out here, and I wanted to talk to Suzuno."

"We can go in, I just wanted to say-uh-"

"Say what," Emi asked, her mind flashing back to only a short time ago, when she and Maou had been embedded in the deepest recesses of her mind, wherein she stored her one true home.

"Well, I really, uh-well, I enjoyed getting to see your home," Maou said lamely, "and I think your nightmares should be finished."

"I hope so," Emi said, contemplating her horrible night terrors.

"But still, if you ever need them removed again… I'm your man."

"I'm starting to think you do that on purpose!"

"Do what?!"

"You say the stupidest-and then you just-and it makes it sound-you're just so….dense," Emi exclaimed.

"Take a minute to form a coherent thought," Maou giggled, already walking away from the flustered Emi, who hadn't even noticed Maou's departure, "then let's go up to Suzuno's for a little bit."

"Ass," Emi muttered, earning a smirk from Maou, who wiggled his rump in a self-satisfying manner as he ascended the stairs to the Villa Rosa.

"At least I have one," Maou called, turning to find Emi in hot pursuit, her face red and murder in her eyes.

Maou yelped and darted inside, holding the door shut as Emi pounded upon it from the outside.

"Take that back," Emi shouted, "admit that I have a nicer butt than you, or suffer the wrath of the Hero!"

"Hmmm, no, don't think so," Maou said, his shoulder jarring as Emi beat against the door.

"Hey, kid, you wanna quit playin' around with your girlfriend," a large, grumpy looking fireman grunted.

Maou straightened himself and allowed Emi to push the door open, her face flushed, but her lips curled in a grin.

"She's not my girlfriend," Maou said loudly, "she's my mortal nemesis!"

"Ah," the large fireman said slyly, "roleplay, eh? I get it."

The fireman gave the two of them an over the top wink and two thumbs up before pushing past them and out the door.

Both Maou and Emi were dumbstruck, looking first into oblivion, and then at each other. Finally, their gazes wandered every which way as they cleared their throats and chuckled lamely.

"Aheheh."

"Hehaha. Ha."

Maou's gaze suddenly fell upon the doorway to his room, which was barricaded off with yellow caution tape. With careful, meaningful steps, he found his way to the room he'd called home for nearly two years, and with a casual swipe of his hand, the caution tape fell, and Maou went inside.

It was essentially as he remembered it, except his table had been pushed up against the wall, and upon the ceiling, above the range, was a large black scorch mark from the smoke. Maou sighed and put a hand to his head, fearing what the landlady would think when she found out.

"An apt question," said a girly voice in a falsetto.

"Oh no, not you-"

"It's so nice of you to think of me, my dear, but in truth I have complete faith that your apartment will be restored to its former glory in no time at all."

Such as dumb luck would have it, Maou's landlady had seemingly appeared from out of nowhere, almost as if she were summoned by Maou's thoughts. She was dressed quite fashionably in a fur coat and a wide brimmed purple hat, but her thick makeup took away from her… erm… beauty.

"Why, I am most dissapointed in General Alciel," the landlady continued breathlessly, her ability to know things she shouldn't still intact, "I was sure he, of all people, would be able to prevent such catastrophe."

"Ashiya is taking a break from being my General. He's helping Rika recover from a demonic possession."

That seemed to shut her up.

"Wha- a demonic possession, you say? How ridiculous, right under my very nose-"

The Miki Shiba, whose preferred term of endearment was 'Mikitty', continued to look outraged and confused as she spoke at length about special security measures she'd enforced. For the first time, Maou felt he may have known something she didn't… and he'd handed her the information without so much as a second thought.

"Whatever the case, I am glad Alciel has the sense to look after the poor girl," Miki Shiba said angrily.

"Uh-yeah, right."

"Anyway,I won't take any more of your time, but you will have to vacate the premises before the day's end," Miki said, closing her large purple bag with a click and handing Maou the paper she'd pulled from within it. It was a Notice of Unsafe Living Environment, and it had been signed and approved by both Raphael, and Miki Shiba.

"So now it's not even a 'sorry for your castle' it's just a 'pack your stuff and hit the road' situation," Maou asked loudly, holding his head with both hands as panic and outrage overtook him.

"Terribly sorry about that," Miki said, still smiling sweetly, "also, because this was inflicted by the tenant, and not by, say, a natural disaster, or an unexplainable phenomenon, I cannot waive this month's rent for you. It will be expected, in full, on the exact date as usual. Have a good day, Demon King."

With that, the short, squat, toad-like landlady who knew way too much; and who applied makeup like frosting on a cake, finally left, leaving Maou to stare blankly after her, his jaw agape and his body aquiver with pacified unhappiness.

"DAMN IT!"

From outside on the stairs, Miki Shiba smirked as she heard Maou's exclamation. From on the other side of the brick wall that separated the Villa Rosa from the road, a van honked its horn before a lean, tan girl with her dark hair tied into a ponytail stuck her head out the window.

"C'mon, aunt Miki, I wanna hit the beach, already!"

"Settle down, Amane," Miki called to her, "I want to go to the beach just as badly as you… I have an adorable swimsuit to show off!"

The atmosphere in Suzuno's room, when Maou and Emi finally made it that far, could best be described as tense. On one end of the room, as far as he could get from the Inquisitor, was Lucifer, and upon the other, wrapped in layer upon layer of blankets, and looking more like a grumpy lump, was Suzuno, who glowered at Emi and Maou's overly loud entry.

"Mmmmm," Suzuno groaned before covering her face and rolling over so she didn't have to deal with the intrusion.

"Good to see you too, Suzuno," Maou grumbled.

"Silence, Demon King," came a muffled voice from within the cocoon of blankets.

"It's like she's got a really bad hangover and her time of the month all at once," Urushihara whispered to Maou, who took a seat at Suzuno's table, which was actually furnished with chairs, unlike Maou's apartment.

Emi took the opportunity to flick Urushihara and Maou behind the ears before she, too, glowered at them.

"Don't talk about things like that, especially around the women you're insulting," Emi murmured.

"Quieeeeeet," Suzuno called, rolling over once more and fixing Emilia with an angry stare.

"Sorry, Bell, we'll… uh, go for a walk so you can rest. Have you had any Holy Vitamin Beta?"

"Yeah…"

"Here's another bottle, to be safe," Emi supplied, pulling one from her own bag and setting it upon the counter as Maou and Urushihara filed back out of the apartment, "make sure you sip it."

"I'm not a child, Emilia," Suzuno grumbled.

"Never said you were," Emi smiled, turning out the light and whispering a kind goodbye to the bedridden woman, before quietly closing the door and following the demons outside.

Suzuno couldn't help but smile as Emi shut the door to her apartment, leaving the Inquisitor to rest and recover from her loss of Celestial Force.

'This is why I fought alongside the Devil and the Hero,' Suzuno thought as she smiled into her pillow, peaceful sleepiness muddling her thoughts, 'because they really seem to care about their friends….'

In Suzuno's dreams, which had been dark and disturbing for the last week, she found herself locked in the same repetitive nightmares. Perhaps it was just the effect of Suzuno's frail and bedridden state, but they seemed particularly piercing, as though she were being struck right at her core.

Physical pain raked her chest and her head was throbbing as she fell in and out of consciousness, but she could still see the visions behind her eyes.

Ente Isla was falling, the Devil and the Hero were joining forces against humanity, and the Angels had turned their backs on the world they'd once protected… she saw visions from her old life as a silencer of the Church's foes. She felt the blood splatter across her dark clothes, and listened to men, women, and in some cases, children, shriek and cry out in agony as their bodies thudded to the floor.

She's done it so many times her mind had trouble registering the faces.

Suzuno had always tried not to look directly into the faces of those whose lives she'd extinguished. She did her best not to trace the twisted looks of fright, pain, and disbelief that often diminished their features. More than anything, she avoided gazing into their cold, dull eyes. It was there that she would find herself ensnared, staring fruitlessly into eternity, but the nightmares would not relent, and so she was sucked into the glassy, dead orbs, only to find the color of the irises change.

They were violet, a beautiful, glowing purple hue that enraptured Suzuno and lent her a warm, fuzzy feeling in her navel. Then she recalled what had happened, and upon closer inspection, the body of Lucifer lay before her, bloody, broken, and lifeless.

All at once, she forgot it was a nightmare, and she panicked, two entire years of her life gone in an instant in the face of her dilemma.

'I've killed an Angel,' she thought, 'Heaven is closed to me, only the Devil will accept me as I am, and the Church… they'll make me a villain!'

"Good," whispered a voice from the dark corner of the room in which she stood, "it's time you realized where true power lies, Crestia Bell. We have heard of your deeds, and would be glad to welcome you into the fold."

A tall, dark figure with red eyes unfurled his cape and held out an arm. In moments, an army of darkness had appeared at his beckoning, and Suzuno found herself walking towards the tall figure and his army, blood glowing like rubies as it dripped from her hammer and left a trail upon the floor.

She felt her fear mount as she grew closer and closer to the Devil, but it was not a normal fear, like that of a man approaching a monster, it was a fear of how it felt so right. A murderer walking into an army of darkness was only to be expected.

"No," Suzuno said quietly, "I am an Inquisitor… I…. I'm not a bad person…."

She thrashed in her sleep, and behind her shuddering eyelids, she was blinded by the tall figure's glowing red eyes. With a hearty laugh, as if a great victory had been won, it enfolded Suzuno into his cloak, suffocating her, and wrapping her in a stuffy cocoon.

"Suzuno…."

She was so close to awakening, she could almost smell the smoky aroma left over by Maou's apartment, but instead she remained asleep, and the dark cloak of the Devil turned into a pair of strong arms that held her close. She could feel a heartbeat, she could feel life, and somehow she knew she was no longer in danger. She looked up, only to find Urushihara looking down upon her. He was so tall now, it was strange. He stared at her with those glowing violet eyes that made her think of lilacs in the spring. Tears began to fall from Suzuno's eyes, and she cried quietly as Lucifer watched her.

"I never… I never meant to kill anyone! I just wanted… I- I just… I"

Her argument was lost as Urushihara once more pulled her to his chest, and Suzuno awoke with tears upon her face, the bright light of the day peaking in through the curtains as she silently wept to herself.

Emi, Maou, and Urushihara roamed the streets, all three of them looking out of sorts as they tried to find something for three tired, poor teenagers to do that would allow them to remain inconspicuous.

"Anybody else hungry," Emi asked, a local Benny's Diner sign beckoning to them in the shadow of the overcast day.

"We're broke, Yusa," Lucifer said shortly, "and this idiot didn't have the foresight to grab Ashiya's cash stash, or his bank card, so we have to wait until the firefighters bring out more of our belongings."

"My belongings," Maou corrected his General.

Maou was slightly upset, but not because he was hungry, or because he'd forgotten to grab some things while no firefighters were in his apartment, it was because of the company he kept. Emi, on one hand, was great, but Lucifer was still a little sour from being thrown out of the Devil's Castle the day before.

Not to mention that Emi was aware that Lucifer was aware of Maou and Emi's little agreement.

That part still made Maou's head hurt a little, and the pain only served to dampen his mood.

"Well, I'll cover for the both of you," Emi sighed, digging around in her bag once more, "but I'll expect repayment out of your next paycheck, Maou."

"Uh, yeah, sure thing."

Oh, and Maou had nearly forgotten about how he would have a short paycheck, considering he'd lost two long days of work. Add to the fact that Maou would still have to pay his rent that month, the due date for which was fast approaching, and the Devil felt as though his world were about to end.

Sadly, it was a somewhat familiar sensation. He'd felt it before, when Lucifer had become a co-tenant, and Maou had laid awake at night thinking of ways to trim some fat from the budget. He'd taken extra work before, but the result left him tired and sore, so he wasn't fond of that idea, and Ashiya was too busy with Rika to be bothered with getting a job, leaving the burden to fall squarely upon Maou's shoulders.

'It's alright,' Maou thought as he followed Emi and Urushihara into the diner, his nostrils filling with the scent of breakfast food and fresh coffee, 'you've been through worse… first things first, you have to return the computer… a little magic will fix the packaging, and that's an extra thirty five thousand yen back in my pocket… so if I just use a little of that for groceries, the rent is already halfway paid…'

But no matter how many saving graces he found, there was a major financial compromise that would need to be made between the food, rent, or utilities… something would have to be put on the backburner while he tried to pay off his other debts.

"Here's your food, guys!"

The Devil had been so preoccupied with his budgetary concerns that he hadn't noticed Emi picking a booth and ordering for them.

Several large platters of American cuisine were placed before each of them, making their jaws drop as they looked at the enormous piles of food. Maou turned to try and smile at the waitress, and he noted that she was pretty, even without makeup. She was probably around Maou's human age, perhaps working to support herself as she attended school or something, but her large brown eyes locked with Maou's red ones. She smiled brightly and gave Maou a wink.

"Enjoy your food, handsome."

"Thank you very much," Maou said, bowing first to the waitress, and then to Emi, who was looking at Maou rather strangely, her fork hovering over of a pile of syrup drenched pancakes.

"No problem," Emi said finally, cutting out a large hunk of her food and shoveling it into her mouth.

"Wow, you really know hot to eat, don't you, Yusa," Urushihara said.

"Maybe you should eat your food before I stab you with your own fork," Emi said hurriedly, shoveling more food into her gullet so as to wash away the bitter taste of last night's alcohol.

"I _am_ eating," Urushihara said, "the same can't be said for his royal gloominess over here."

"I'm not hungry," Maou said, wincing as his stomach clenched in protest.

"You're body seems to disagree with you, there," Emi said, smiling as Maou's stomach gurgled violently.

"I'll eat when I've got this figured out," Maou said impatiently, rubbing his temples and frowning at his platter of eggs, sausages, bacon, pancakes and toast.

"Whatever you're trying to 'figure out' isn't going to be solved by starvation," Emi said, using her fingers to put air quotes around Maou's words, "if you don't eat, you won't be able to think of anything except food. You can trust me on that."

Glaring at Emi, and cursing her sound logic, Maou poured himself a cup of steaming coffee, mixing it with cream and sugar. Next, he lathered his sausages and pancakes with enough syrup to drown a nation, and then, with his eyes still narrowed at Emilia the Hero, Maou began to inhale his breakfast.

The Devil, however, was not usually one for eating large amounts of food, and the western cuisine upon his plate had been dealt in western proportions, so it took him some time to finish everything. Whether it was the effect of the food, or just the simple, repetitive motions of bringing his fork and coffee cup to his mouth, he soon found that the budget wasn't so bad. Sure, he might have to forsake his dues to the landlady in order to buy groceries, but he'd been on time with his rent check for a couple of years now… surely she wouldn't evict him right away….right?

"Feeling better," Emi asked.

Maou couldn't explain how, but he most certainly was. Emi, it seemed, was feeling better too. She had been looking rather pale and scrawny, which was to be expected, given her recent state of mind, alcohol consumption, and overdose on Holy Vitamin Beta, but now she seemed to have regained some of the lost color in her cheeks, and though she looked tired, Maou found her to be as lovely as ever.

'Tell her she looks pretty,' the little Devil in Maou's heart whispered, 'tell her you want to make thirty-three babies, and to live with her in that little shack she called her home.'

'Now is not the time for that,' Maou said mentally, brushing his little Demon aside as he got back to solving his financial crises.

Urushihara poked through the bacon on his plate, his mind back at the Villa Rosa, where Suzuno had seemed so tired and unhappy. The fallen angel would never admit it, even at the end of Better Half, the Evolving Holy Sword, but he often times found himself thinking of Suzuno, and her wellbeing. It was strange, thinking that if his liege lord died, Urushihara could likely shrug it off, but if anything happened to that little burrito in her crowded six tatami apartment….

"You awake in there," Maou asked, looking at Urushihara with concern as he continued to play with his bacon.

"You know I'm not a fan of bacon," Urushihara said quietly, sighing as he continued to prod and poke the crispy meat strips.

"Wha-you don't like bacon." Maou asked incredulously, "that's ridiculous! Everyone likes bacon! I've heard that some Americans even worship it, like a god of sorts!"

"I'm not really a fan of bacon either," Emi said, handing her own bacon over to the Devil, who tore into the delicacy with gusto.

"Ugh," Lucifer said, tossing his own bacon onto Maou's plate, "I don't get how people can stomach food with so much raw fat in it."

"It's chewy and delicious, like bacon bubble gum," Maou explained as he worked on gnawing the bacon.

"Blergh…. ugh, that's so gross," Lucifer said.

"You're telling me," Emi agreed, staring with horror at Maou as he continued to eat.

"Ha, if I knew a little bacon would defeat the Hero, I'd have made an army of bacon soldiers to fortify the walls of my bacon palace in Ente Isla," Maou said, patting his bulging stomach as he exhaled heavily.

Emi smirked at the thought of invading a castle of bacon, only to find the Demon King swathed in robes of bacon… it was the exact sort of logic Maou would employ.

"Geez, I think being around you so much is starting to kill my brain cells," Emi laughed.

Maou gave a lazy wink and aimed a pair of finger guns at the red haired Hero.

"You love it."

"I-"

Emi cut off. She couldn't help but think of the last time she'd heard the Devil use the word 'love'…. It had been over the phone, when he'd accidentally said 'I love you'. It was a simple mistake, but the more Emi thought about it, the less sense the 'accidental' argument made.

Maou had never said that to anyone, as far as she knew, so the thought of it being an accident was absurd, not to mention that he'd still been drunk when he'd said it.

'You love it.'

The words rang in Emi's head, and more than anything, she wanted to refute the statement, but the fact of the matter was…..

"Oh, shut up, Maou," Emi laughed, hoping her face wasn't as red as it felt.

Wednesday brought about Emi and Maou's return to work, which left Urushihara staying with Suzuno, and Emi, good to her word, had allowed Maou to stay with her once more. Ashiya continued to care for Rika, who was making quite the improvement as the work week wore on, but for the first time in a while, everyone seemed to be on the mend, and things were going well… for the most part.

"Maaa, please report to the break room, immediately!"

Ms. Kisaki's voice rang out over the intercom, which usually didn't happen, even during closing time, when the MgRonalds at Hatagaya station was cleared of its customers and swabbed in preparation for the next day.

It was Maou's first day back to work, and he'd been busy prepping the kitchens for tomorrow when he'd heard her voice. He sighed as he set down his bottle of disinfectant and stripped off his latex gloves before looking around the kitchen, which was cleaner than it had ever been. The machines had all been meticulously scrubbed, and the napkins, utensils, and condiment stores had been refilled, and everything was exactly where it should be.

Figuring it was best to go and report to Kisaki, Maou made to leave the kitchen when a strange refraction of light caught his eye.

It was the fryer, the counter of which was still imprinted with four dent marks from his knuckles. The dents had turned the light as he moved, a tiny imperfection in what was otherwise a spotless conglomerate designed to churn out food faster than normally possible. With a strange sense of reverence, Maou felt the dents, noting how they were actually a bit deeper than he'd originally thought… and through almost half an inch of solid stainless steel.

"I've gotta be more careful," Maou chided himself.

His words did nothing to wipe away the embarrassment caused by his rage, however. Everyone, for the most part, had been in attendance when he'd acted so distastefully, not to mention there had been several customers. From then on, his reputation would be that of an angry young man, a disturbed youth who had no place working in such a shining beacon of prosperity as MgRonalds.

"Maaaaa," Kisaki called over the intercom.

"I'm coming," Maou said loudly, bolting for the breakroom.

He paused for a moment, his hands pressed upon the door as he took a deep breath. As he let it out, he pushed open the door to the break room and found all of his late shift co-workers standing inside. They had all changed into their civilian clothes, and were all looking as though they were trying not to smile.

"Now, whatever happened to the smart young man that came the first time he was called," Kisaki asked, looking hurt as she held her forehead and tried not to smile.

"I was just scrubbing the kitchen… you know, that takes a lot longer than everything else," Maou reasoned, still looking unsure as he looked into the eyes of everyone assembled, trying to figure out what was going on.

"And yet, night after night, you are the first one in there after closing. You take on the job with no complaints, charging into the kitchen with your head held high, and your pride upon your sleeve! You scrub the machines harder and faster than anyone else here, except maybe me," Kisaki paused, flipping her side-ponytail in a self-congratulatory way, "and you get those machines spotless, you restock everything, and then you clock out half an hour after everyone else has gone home. You do this every single night, and I've watched the security feeds, you aren't just slacking off to get a little extra cash, you're working your ass off!"

"Y-you watched the security feeds? I thought they were just for safety-" Maou stammered before being cut off by his boss.

"So imagine my shock when you miss two days," Kisaki said, her voice turning just as quiet as it had been over the phone yesterday, "you just decide you can't hack it, and you leave for two whole days… well, you didn't bother to call in on your second day until halfway through your shift, so what do I do? I have to cover for you! I have to take to the kitchen! I have to make burgers! I have to do the work of both the Shift Manager, and the Assistant Shift Manager… as much money as it saved the company, I'm afraid I just don't do two jobs for one salary, it's not my style. Now, corporate policy states that any employee who is found to be unreliable can be fired at my discretion. Another corporate policy _demands_ that any employee who damages company property be fired, and yet another policy dictates that if an employee's interests outside the workplace negatively impact his in-house performance, it is recommended that they be let go."

Maou froze upon the spot, he was familiar with all of those rules, as he had studied the employee handbook religiously when he'd first started at MgRonalds, and he'd had to review it with Kisaki after each and every promotion. As an Assistant Shift Manager, he was looked to for inspiration, and was duty-bound to lead by example… but he'd failed in that regard, and Emi had gone straight to his head on more than one occasion. It seemed that his time at MgRonalds was running out, but he didn't let his self-loathing show. He kept himself firmly rooted upon the spot, even though his knees felt like they would give out an any moment. He looked around at the faces of his co-workers once more, noting how something was off… why would they be assembled for a firing? Was Kisaki really so deranged that she would use Maou's termination to boost work ethic? Even he, the Demon King, had never been quite so ruthless within his own army.

"That said, corporate can suck it," Kisaki said, making Maou cock his head so hard his neck cracked, "Maou, you're one of the best damn workers ever to come through this place, and that's saying something, given my working here. I haven't reported you to corporate… yet. Rest assured if your recent behavior becomes a pattern, I'll have no choice, but all of us here at the Hatagaya MgRonalds are like family, and as a result, we've all decided to pitch in a little something to help out."

Kisaki help out an envelope, and just by looking, Maou could see it was a pay stub. He was visibly confused for a moment, as the pay stubs were only supposed to go out after payday. Kisaki motioned for Maou to open it, and he did so, looking through the columns to find his final deposit.

"Holy shit!"

Maou couldn't help but curse, and everyone in the break room laughed at him as he struggled to comprehend the check. Having missed not one, but two full days, along with any sort of attendance bonus he might've earned, Maou was expecting a catastrophically small check. To his surprise, he found that it was quite a bit more than he usually made.

"All of us chipped in a few hours of vacation to cover your two days off," Kisaki explained, "and I chipped in few hours myself to help cover the damages to your apartment. Thanks for everything you do here, Maou."

Kisai held out a hand, but Maou slapped it aside and pulled his boss into a hug, earning a look of surprise from each and every employee in the break room. What surprised them further was when Kisaki smiled and hugged Maou back. It was a tender moment, but Kisaki spoke softly into Maou's ear as they shared a hug.

"Seriously, Maaa, don't expect this kinda treatment all the time. You really gotta get your shit together, mister," Kisaki mumbled.

"I'm working on it. Oh, and Kisaki?"

"Hmm?"

"Are there any overtime slots available this weekend?"

Kisaki pushed Maou away and grinned, punching him upon the shoulder, glad she'd made the choice to let Maou keep his job. It was the sort of thing that would inspire life-long loyalty in her workers.

 **As promised, here is the next chapter. Now, I believe I have a few things to point out to everyone, so bear with me for a moment... first off, Benny's is a spoof of Denny's, hence why I figured they would have American cuisine. I believe I added a line from Monty Python, when Maou says something along the lines of "We got better" to Raphael. Finally, we have some touching moments between Maou and Emi, Suzuno is a little worse for wear, and Miki Shiba and Amane make an appearance before going to the beach. Honestly, I bet Amane would look great in a bikini... something tells me that Maou's landlord might not be such a pleasant sight. Also, Emi, Suzuno and Chiho are now Demon Generals! I'm fairly certain this happened in the light novels as well, but hey, this is fanfiction. Finally, Maou tried to burn down his apartment, and now he'll be living with Emi, which is what will be encompassed in future chapters.**

 **Not much else to say, and all this typing has gotten me tired, so I think I'll throw down some songs for you guys to look up before I sign off for the night.**

 **Stoned on You-Jaymes Young**

 **Alcatraz-Oliver Riot**

 **Neurosis-Oliver Riot**

 **Bottom of the Deep Blue Sea-Missio**

 **Twisted-Missio**

 **Hypnotized-Traces**

 **Wires-The Neighborhood**

 **Feel Something-Jaymes Young**

 **That's all I've got for now! I'll hopefully post more soon!**

 **Good night!**

 **Sleep tight!**

 **Don't let the thought of poorly written nightmare scenes in sappy anime fanfics keep you awake tonight!**


	23. The Devil and the Hero: Subtle Seduction

Emi's day began a little differently than Maou's. The folks at the Docodemo Customer Service Center were not nearly as close as those at MgRonalds, though when the time truly came for working together, a common enemy managed to get the job done.

This common enemy, of course, was the boss that Emi so despised. He was a man whom no one cared for; overly large and balding, his thick handlebar mustache often twitched when his ire overflowed, and he had a bad habit of calling people out over nothing.

Emi personally didn't care for him because of the way his eyes tended to wander, but the pay, just starting, was over sixteen hundred yen per hour. Emi, who'd been with the company for over two years, was making a little under two thousand yen per hour, and she couldn't afford to lose the job without having to make significant changes to her lifestyle.

Her mind flashed back to when she'd first gotten there that morning, and her boss had called her into his office.

"Shut the door, please," he said quietly, bent over a form that he was filling out with red ink.

Emi did as bidden and sat gracefully in the chair across from Mr. Mitsude's as she waited for him to finish writing. When he finally looked up at her over his spectacles, he flashed a small smile at her, revealing coffee stained teeth and incredibly bad breath.

"I need you to sign this," he said simply, sliding the form over to Emi.

She took the form from the desk and read it, her arrival on Earth teaching her to always read things before signing them.

"I'm getting suspended?!"

"Only for a couple of days," Mitsude said, "we take the attendance of your employees very seriously, here at Docodemo-"

"Right, that makes sense," Emi said sharply, slamming her hand upon Mitsude's desk, "I already missed time at work, so I get to take more time off, no flawed logic there!"

"Rules are rules," Mitsude said, his voice an angry rumble, "and if you don't like that, you are free to leave."

"I… no, sorry. I'll take the punishment."

"Good choice, Yusa," her boss sneered, turning to play minesweeper on his computer, "you're free to go, do your work for today, and your suspension will begin tomorrow. Enjoy your extended weekend."

What really made Emi pissed was the fact that she knew there was supposed to be a warning before being suspended. There were verbal and written warnings, write-ups, suspension, and finally termination… clearly, Mitsude had skipped a few steps.

"Jackass," Emi muttered, answering another call to try and focus on something other than that abhorrent idiot she called her boss.

She got out of work feeling particularly good about herself, having been mentally going over the situation in her head, and coming to the conclusion that she was right every time. For a moment, Emi waited at the steps for Rika, a force of habit after sticking with her for two years, but then she remembered Rika wasn't around, so she hung her head and took the first steps to the train station when she heard her name being called.

"Emilia!"

Emi looked around, trying to find the source of the voice, only to notice a pale, familiar face in the backseat of a taxi.

Suzuno, whose hair was a mess and who looked extremely sleep deprived, beckoned Emi over and looked at her with a gaze that could've cut through steel.

"Get in, Emilia," Suzuno ordered, "we need to talk."

"About what," Emi asked, hoping it wouldn't take long as she opened the door and climbed inside.

"Something we should've discussed when I first arrived," Suzuno said shortly, "driver, take my friend and I somewhere private, where no one can overhear us."

"Can't I just go home," Emi whined.

"No," Suzuno said, "now let's move!"

Like a bullet from a gun, the taxi driver hit the gas, and they took off into the busy traffic of Tokyo.

Emi let the sensation of turning corners at an extremely high velocity distract her from her terrible day at work, and she looked to her left to find Suzuno sitting in the seat, quite unnerved by the driver's ridiculous speed as he maneuvered through traffic with ease.

"Uh, shouldn't we slow down," Emi asked Suzuno.

"I don't pay the man to drive slow," Suzuno muttered shortly, holding her hands in her lap as she fidgeted and twiddled her thumbs, looking more and more uncomfortable as she tried to think.

"Is something wrong," Emi asked in an undertone, "y'know, with Ente Isla."

"Sort of," Suzuno replied, not bothering to elaborate.

Emi sat quietly for the rest of the ride, trying not to get flung into Suzuno as the driver continued his rampage through the streets.

"This should do it," the driver said finally, scratching his chin as he nodded to an old, abandoned park. It was a little creepy in the light of the setting sun, but Emi paid it no mind as Suzuno handed the driver a ten thousand yen bill.

He nodded to Suzuno before rocketing away from the curb, down the road, and around a corner, where he parked, ready to pick up Suzuno in a moment's notice.

"Ok, we're alone, do you want to talk about-"

"Shhh," Suzuno said, putting a finger to her lips before leading Emi over to the swing set.

Suzuno took a seat, and Emi took the one next to her. Suzuno mumbled, and after a moment, Emi realized Bell was chanting in Ente Islan. A strange pressure pervaded the air, and then all at once, the sounds of the city faded away, as if they were trapped in an invisible sphere of silence.

"It is safe to talk," Suzuno said, casting her eyes to and fro about the park as she pulled her kimono tighter about herself.

She looked tired, with dark circles beneath her eyes, and her fair skin was blindingly pale in the light of the dying sun.

"Are you alright, Suzuno?"

"Fine," she muttered, "never better."

"You just look… burnt out," Emi said, understanding how it felt.

"That's kind of you to say," Crestia Bell said, rolling her eyes, "but we are wasting time here. Emilia, I have to talk to you about your relationship with the Devil."

"This again," Emi said angrily, "I told you, there's nothing there, we're just friends."

"That's the issue," Suzuno said, "I have tried my best to hide this from you, and from the Demons, but I cannot shoulder this burden alone… even now, I can feel my heart betray me."

"Your heart is… Suzuno, what is going on?"

"There is a prophecy," Suzuno whispered, grabbing Emi's arm and pulling her close, "it says that you will undo the evil of Satan. It speaks of a great battle, and says that you will put a stop to the chaos of the Demon King."

"There's a prophecy that says I'll stop the Demon King," Emi reiterated, looking at Suzuno as if she had a screw loose.

"Indeed," she muttered darkly.

"Well, that's great, does it say how I'll stop him?"

"No."

"Ok, but does it say I stop him, or I kill him? I mean, can I get some context," Emi asked, trying to grasp at the situation.

"I'm afraid I have told you all I know," Suzuno said, "and I do not know how you stop the Demon King, but-"

Suzuno inhaled sharply, clutching at her chest as her heart made its assertion upon her.

"Suzuno, are you ok?"

"I'm just so tired," Suzuno said quietly, her hands falling to her lap, "I'm so sick of going to bed at night, and seeing the faces of the people I've murdered because the Church told me to."

Suzuno turned her haunted gaze onto Emi, who was entranced by the stunningly bright aquamarine eyes.

"Question everything," Suzuno said seriously, "and don't make the same mistakes I did. I let the Church rule me, I thought they cared about me. I didn't see how much damage they'd done to me until I was free of their influence in another world entirely."

"What are you saying," Emi asked.

"I'm saying… prophecy or not, you can make your own choices, and you can decide for yourself what's good and what isn't. The prophecy says you can stop the Demon King, but it didn't specify how. Emilia, you are strong, you're young, and you of all people should know by now that the Demon King is more than just some tyrannical monster. I know that you can see through his horns and his hooves, down into the human beneath, and you won't let that scare you! You've seen how little he cares for everything, I mean, he had it all, but he gave it up, because he knew it was the right thing to do."

Suzuno stood up, looking out over the park as the last rays of sunlight beat upon her back, still speaking, but more to herself now, as Emi watched from where she sat upon her swing.

"You heard all these terrible things, and the people of the world called him evil, but they didn't get to know him like you did. They never sat down at a table and played poker with him. They didn't know how heated he could get when he really believed in something, and they'd never seen that smirk he gets when he manages to not get flayed alive! They never saw how hard he fought for his friends, and how he stared into the face of adversity with a grin and a gleam in his eyes! They never saw any of that, they only saw a Demon, a force for evil, but having taken so many lives yourself, you can understand why he gave up Heaven. You can sense there's more there than meets the eye, and something tells you that you could draw it out of him, you could get him to believe in something for a change, and he could become the Lightbringer he was always meant to be!"

Suzuno's eyes had filled with hope, and she held her hands to her chest as she shouted into the twilit sky above the park, so many realizations washing over her it was like being submerged underwater.

"Uh, you ok, Suzuno," Emi asked, wondering what was going on.

"Hmm? Uh, er, yeah! I-I'm fine, I just need to… do you need a ride home?"

"Yep."

"Yeah, ok, we can go now. I think you got the gist of what I was saying," Suzuno said, grinding the heel of her sandal into the dirt.

"I think I got the important bits," Emi agreed.

Suzuno dispelled the magical sound barrier before letting loose a whistle that could be heard for at least a mile around, and from around the corner came the cab driver, looking absolutely thrilled to see his favorite customer.

"Where to?"

"Eifuku," Emi said quickly, not wanting to be passed over when it came to her stop.

"And then back to the Villa Rosa," Suzuno said, once more looking unsure as she gazed out of the window.

"You got it," the driver said, once more speeding off into traffic.

"You ok, Bell," Emi asked, "you look like you've seen a ghost."

"No," Bell murmured, "but I've finally seen an angel."

"Wow, you're home late," Maou said cheerfully, "I had to cook for myself!"

"There's a first time for everything," Emi sighed, rolling her eyes and heading straight for the bathroom, wherein she showered and donned her pajama shirt.

"Is that all you're wearing," Maou asked through a mouthful of katsudon, his preferred dish.

"Shut up," Emi sighed, pulling Maou's feet from the couch so she could sit.

"That's rude," Maou noted.

"So is talking with your mouth full. Speaking of which…"

Emi reached over and pulled Maou's bowl away from him, taking several large bites from it before Maou grunted angrily and stole it back.

"Now I gotta get a different fork," Maou said, getting up from the couch to replace the fork Emi had used.

Emi smiled, her cheeks bulging with Maou's delicious katsudon as he shook his head and went to the kitchen. Emi took the opportunity to change the channel on the tv, not at all interested in the anime show Maou had been watching.

"Don't change the channel," he called from the kitchen, "I just power-watched ten episodes of filler, the plot's just starting to get good."

"House rules, Maou," Emi said.

"Your house, your rules, I get it," Maou said, thumping himself down onto the couch next to Emi and thrusting out a bowl for her.

"It's probably not as tasty as mine, cause I season the hell outta mine, but I figured you'd be hungry after work," Maou said, seizing the remote the moment Emi had set it aside to eat.

"I'm watching the news, Maou," Emi said.

"It'll be on in a half hour, and every half hour after that, for the rest of eternity," Maou reasoned, "my show is over in, like, ten minutes."

"Fine," Emi said, "but you know what that means, don't you? You broke the house rules."

"Do your worst," Maou said, flinching as Emi stuck her cold feet on his thigh.

They were like two tiny icicles, and Maou could've sworn that Emi stuck them in the freezer beforehand, but she only smiled and continued watching Maou's anime show.

"This is stupid," Emi said, shaking her head, "there's no depth, it's just a bunch of jacked guys screaming and hitting each other."

Maou couldn't help but laugh before turning to give Emi a look.

"That's pretty much all your gonna see on the news, except the guys on there aren't jacked… and it's really, really depressing… like, seriously."

"You're a Demon King," Emi groaned, pinching Maou with her toes," stop saying 'like.'"

"Stop being so mean and I'll think about it."

"I wouldn't be mean to you if you weren't such a dork," Emi said, laughing at Maou's expression.

"I don't get to watch tv that much, Emi. Indulge me for a couple days, would ya? My house just burnt down."

"You're house didn't burn down, you smoked yourself out."

"Nudist," Maou jeered.

"Dork."

They sat in silence for a time, both of them vividly aware of their closeness to the other. The couch, as it so happened, was more of a loveseat, and it smooshed them both together when they watched TV.

"So, why are you late," Maou asked, "working overtime? Or did something happen."

"No, I just went out with Suzuno for a little bit after work," Emi said.

"Sounds like there's a bit more to it than that," Maou smiled, noting Emi's sour tone.

"With Suzuno? Not really, but my boss suspended me for two days…"

"What? You're kidding? For what? Did you body slam someone," Maou asked, looking outraged.

"Wish I'd body slammed Mitsude," Emi grumbled, "probably give myself a hernia with how heavy he is, but I'd do it… twice."

"So why'd he-"

"Because I didn't come into work yesterday."

"Wow, what a jackass," Maou said.

"I said something like that when I left his office," Emi nodded, eating the katsudon Maou had made for her, which was quite fantastic.

"You're a pretty handy cook, Maou."

"Thanks," he said, "I figured I was hungry, and you would be when you got back, so… I made enough for both of us."

"Tell you what, you devote yourself to being a househusband like Ashiya, and I'll pay the bills. Sound like a deal," Emi asked, knowing what the answer would be.

"Not in a million years… you see, now that you're a Demon General, I am your commanding officer, and the 'House Rules' sort of put a damper on that."

"I thought I was the Demon Queen," Emi asked.

"Nope, I abolished the second Demon Army and reinstated the first, but I added you, Suzuno, and Chiho as my Generals."

Emi scowled at the thought of Maou making Chiho a Demon General, but the thought of the high school girl invading Ente Isla, in front of a horde of raging demons, made Emi smile. She could practically see the high school girl in heavy armor, picking off enemies with her trusty bow as she laughed evilly.

"Hey, Maou? When did you want to go out on that second date? And did you plan on going to see Rika anytime soon," Emi asked innocently.

"I had planned to visit Rika this weekend, and I'd hoped to be moved back into my place before then… still, I haven't received any word from Raphael… I suppose we could go on a date, and see Rika this weekend."

"Wha- Just like that? You're not even gonna try and be cute about it?"

"About what? The date? I figure you'll just drink too much and I'll end up carrying you home again," Maou sighed, still absorbed in his television show.

"Wha-I mean- how dare you-but it'd be nice-what I'm trying to say is-"

"One thought at a time," Maou reminded her.

"I just thought you'd make a bigger deal out of it than that. This is the fate of the world, we're talking about!"

"No," Maou said suddenly, turning to look at Emi with his crimson gaze, "this is personal… consider it payback for that little shopping spree I did with you."

"You were cuddling me!"

"And you enjoyed every goddamn second of it," Maou said, smiling as Emi faltered, her face red as she hid herself behind a pillow.

"You make it sound so dirty," Emi whined to herself as Maou laughed.

They sat in silence again, changing the channel to the news once Maou's show had ended. They watched it on repeat for a while, their eyes drooping as they stared at the tv without really seeing any of it. The night ended for Maou and Emi on that couch, and when Emi arose for work the next morning, she found that she had been sleeping on Maou's chest, laying across him as he snored, their legs a tangled mess hanging over the end of the loveseat.

"Hmph," Emi said, not sure if she was angry at herself for sleeping on the Devil, or angry because she had to go into work.

"Wait a second… I got suspended," Emi realized, stopping halfway through putting on her pants. She quickly disrobed once more, left wearing nothing but her pajama shirt. With a sigh, she made to head into her room, and crawl between her chilly, unused sheets to get a few more hours of sleep, but suddenly she had a better idea. Moving carefully, so as not to wake the Demon King, she slid herself down the back of the loveseat, wedging herself between it and Maou.

"Mmmmm," Maou groaned, scooting over a little and throwing an arm over Emi.

"Maou, are you awake," Emi asked.

The only response was a snore, and Emi fell asleep quite easily to the tune of the Demon King's slow breathing.

She rose again later in the afternoon, feeling surprisingly tired after getting so much sleep, and she found a note from the Devil nearby. Unfortunately, it took her about half an hour to find it, as it was taped to her back, and she didn't notice it until she sat down at her kitchen table to drink some coffee and peruse her phone for the news.

"Maou, you bastard," Emi sighed half-heartedly, tearing the note from the back of her shirt and straightening out the crinkles, which had most likely occurred while Emi tossed and turned.

She stared with disbelief at the note, wondering exactly how long it had taken for Maou to sit down and write it.

 _Hero, keep an ear out for Raphael, text me if you hear anything. Headed to work, have a good day off. Work on verbalizing one thought at a time. See you when I get back._

 _P.S. You drooled on me while you slept, so I took all the pillow cases off the couch and put them in the wash, along with my pajamas. Could you run back to my apartment and grab me fresh ones? Or just make sure the dirty ones get dried before I get back?_

 _Thanks-_

 _Maou_

Normally, Emilia the Hero would've simply scoffed and torn up the note, or cursed the Demon King and his lack of respect, but as of late, she found herself more and more forgiving of the Devil and his lack of composure. There was always something so genuine about the way he gave her that wicked grin, and that crimson glow in his eyes was like wisp leading her through a dark, oppressing forest…

Emi patted her cheeks to reconnect with reality, a sip of her hot coffee also helping in that regard. She was the Hero of Ente Isla (a fact she recounted to herself several times a day) and by all rights, she shouldn't feel concern for her mortal nemesis. She shouldn't want him to come home after work with that tired smile, and smelling strongly of fryer grease, but she did. She found that sitting at home by herself was difficult, especially when she wanted Maou to be there with her.

He acted as a footwarmer, an alternate opinion, and a way for Emi to stretch her horizons. Before last night, she'd never even watched an anime show…

"And now he might expect to sleep with me from now on," Emi realized, her face going red as she thought about it.

Originally, they'd only paired up when they were extremely tired from emotional manipulation, or worn down after several serious battles, one of which had compelled them to kiss! Still, Emi would have to put her foot down…

"There's gotta be a pillow buffer, at least," she decided finally, pouring out the cold dregs of her coffee cup before returning to the couch for a few more hours of sleep.

Urushihara never went outside, if he could avoid it. He found that humans, in general, grated upon his nerves, especially when they stared at his high profile purple hair, as if he'd dyed it that way to gain attention. Little did they know, there was a far deeper meaning behind it than 'my mommy didn't hug me enough as a kid.' It was symbolic of his fall from 'grace'… not that he'd ever go so far as to call it 'grace'.

That said, he had taken to the streets more often than not, as Suzuno hadn't been home, and as a result, Urushihara had been stuck in the old, creaking building of the Villa Rosa by himself. It was strange, because he often thought that he'd like being alone, and in the past, solitude had been his most loyal compatriot. It seemed those days had passed, however, for the Inquisitor of the Church of Ente Isla had been stuck in his head ever since she'd left the day before.

"I'm off to see Emilia," Suzuno had said, rising from the bed with her hair a mess and her makeup smeared, "I'll return… sometime."

But Suzuno hadn't come back. Urushihara was beginning to think he should've put another tracker in her sandal as he rounded the corner to the familiar street that ran in front of the Villa Rosa. When he went for walks, it was never very far from home, and he often just went around the block a few times.

He trudged up the steps and into the common area, looking furtively at the door to Maou's apartment, which had been closed, locked, and pasted with a notice of some kind or another. Urushihara didn't bother to read it thoroughly as he sauntered past, his shoulders hunched and his hands in his pockets.

He walked into Suzuno's apartment to find the lights on and candles lit upon the table. At the counter, humming to herself and chopping vegetables faster than most humans believed possible, was Suzuno. She wore an apron over her kimono, and a handkerchief donned her brow as she worked.

Her body swayed gently to the beat of a drum Urushihara couldn't hear as she danced between the stove and the counter.

Urushihara had only been out for a little over half an hour, but the entire apartment already smelled incredible.

"Oh, welcome home, Morningstar."

Urushihara paused, conflicted about whether or not he should let his guard down. Suzuno was short, and her magic power was severely depleted, but she was still a force to be reckoned with, and that wasn't taking her enormous hammer into account, which was sparkling quite beautifully in the light above the stove.

"Uh... yeah, good to be back."

"I was quite worried about you," Suzuno mumbled.

"Yeah, I went for a walk. Needed a little fresh air, and a chance to stretch my legs."

Urushihara wasn't about to admit that he was scared of being alone in the old building.

"Oh, that's good, I hope you worked up an appetite, because I have been cooking hard ever since I returned."

"You did all that in half an hour?"

Lucifer approached the stove, and upon it he found a veritable feast. It looked as though Suzuno had spared no expense, and she had splurged upon several of Urushihara's favored delicacies. She'd even gotten a box of his favorite jelly filled donuts.

"Is there a party going on that I wasn't told about," Urushihara asked, "cause if there is, I'll probably just take these and hide in the closet."

"There is actually a very special occasion, Morningstar, so I've decided to throw a little celebration for us!"

Urushihara stopped again upon hearing his old title. It was most often used by his subordinates, back when he commanded Heaven's armies... why was Suzuno suddenly using it now, and what was with her smile?

Not that it was a bad smile, in fact it seemed to draw Urushihara to her for some odd reason, but at the same time it put him off, as if there were something more to it. Thinking back, he couldn't really be sure they'd done anything that would warrant a two person party, but Suzuno smiled at him again, and all thinking ceased.

"Would you take over while I change into something more comfortable," Suzuno asked, turning back to the stove.

Normally, Urushihara would've realized that Suzuno never wore anything other than a kimono, but her aquamarine eyes seemed to sparkle brightly in the flickering candlelight being thrown from the table, and he just nodded awkwardly before taking the handle of the spoon she was using to stir a pot of thick stew.

Their hands touched for a moment, connected by minute lines of energy that felt so real, they were both surprised sparks didn't actually fly. Their eyes locked overlong, and Urushihara's jaw hung agape for a moment before Suzuno finally released the spoon handle, turning away from Lucifer and sliding an old fashioned screen across the floor to shield herself from Urushihara's hungry eyes.

Of course, when I say hungry eyes, I mean he was staring rather intensely at the food as it cooked, and doing his best to avoid looking in Suzuno's direction. A few moments passed before she reemerged from behind the screen, and when Urushihara turned around, he jumped, very nearly knocking the scalding hot stew to the floor.

She was wearing a kimono that had been heavily altered so as to accentuate her luscious features. It rode incredibly high upon her thighs, displaying her ivory skin in ample amounts. The chest, too, had been redone, and was barely held closed by a loosely done obi sash.

The whole thing was extraordinarily seductive, coupled with Suzuno's batting eyelashes and red cheeks.

"W-well, what do you think, Morningstar?"

Urushihara's breath caught in his throat, and he choked upon it, caught somewhere between a laugh and hacking cough. He recovered to find Suzuno doing her utmost to avoid his gaze, and when their eyes met she suddenly jumped and looked away, running her fingers through her ponytail.

All at once, the subtle differences became apparent to Lucifer. Suzuno had gotten her fingernails painted, she wore her makeup a little thicker, and her lips were now a darker, fuller color thanks to some lipstick.

"Quit your staring and tell me I look nice," Suzuno suddenly commanded, clapping a hand to her face as she realized it ruined her seduction.

"Uh… I figured it just sort of went without saying," Urushihara mumbled, still frozen by the stove as Suzuno approached him.

She giggled in a most girly manner, bringing her hand to her mouth as she came closer.

"Silly Morningstar…"

Morningstar. There it was again. After a moment, the pieces clicked into place, and Lucifer summoned a sphere of violet energy in his palm, looking at Suzuno with distrust as she froze, only an arm's length away.

"Who are you, and what have you done with Crestia Bell," Urushihara demanded, his eyes glowing a lusty purple color as he tried to see through her disguise.

"My name is Crestia Bell," Suzuno said, speaking in the dialect of Centruvian, "and I pledge my life and limb to you, Lightbringer!"

She looked absolutely thrilled to speak the vows in a binding language, but Lucifer suddenly looked fearful, the sphere of energy in his hand dissipating as his arm fell back to his side.

"What the hell, Suzuno?!"

"I get it now," Suzuno said, reverting back to Japanese, "I understand it, I know why you left Heaven! I know that you're a good person! It wasn't that you didn't care, it wasn't that you got bored! You cared too much, and you ended up broken because of that!"

"What are you-"

Suzuno pressed herself against Urushihara, noting his increased heartbeat as she did so. Lucifer leaned back, wondering if he should push her away, or prepare for an attack.

"I know because… because it's why I fought against Olba and the Church when they came for Emi! It's why I've fought against Angels, and done my best to care for all of you! And now I understand it… I understand _you_!"

"You don't seem to realize what you've done," Urushihara said, gripping Suzuno's wrists, "you've just bound yourself to me, a Demon General! I could command you to do anything I wanted! I could make you run around the city naked, or turn you into a spy against the Church!"

"And I would do it… I would do it for you, Lightbringer! You can lie to everyone else, but you can't lie to me, nor to yourself!"

"What are you going on about, now?"

"Pull me into your Heavenly embrace," Suzuno said, swooning as Urushihara's back cracked from the strain of holding her up, "bathe me in your ethereal glow! Smite me with your holy spear!"

Urushihara noted how Suzuno's skin seemed to tingle from his touch, and he very nearly dropped her as he struggled to comprehend what she was saying. She looked at him as she lay in his arms, her face red as blood rushed into it.

"Morningstar… do with me as you will."

Lucifer thought about it for a moment, and then decided that there was only one way to fix Suzuno's severely addled mental state.

He dropped her onto the floor.

Suzuno felt the wind rush from her lungs as she hit the ground, unsure of what was coming next, but her patience was not rewarded, as Urushihara simply looked at her quizzically.

"Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting," he asked, cocking his head.

"Listen pal, I don't do this for everybody," Suzuno said, her tone disapproving as she glared up at Urushihara.

Instead, Urushihara bent down over Suzuno and stared directly into her eyes for a moment before falling back onto his butt, sitting next to where she lay on the floor. Suzuno sat up, making sure she had done as she had planned. Was she wearing her customized seduction kimono? Check. Was she wearing makeup? Check. Had she made her desires clear? Check! What was she missing?

"Y'know, usually during moments like this, little hearts will appear in the woman's eyes," Lucifer said, "but you don't seem to have that issue, so I can't help but wonder… what the hell are you doing? And why?"

"I told you," Suzuno sighed, still giving Urushihara that disappointed look, "I've come to the realization that you are not a bad person."

"I appreciate the sentiment," Urushihara said quickly, "but isn't this going… a little too far?"

"If you think so, then I must respect your wishes, master Morningstar."

"And what's with all this 'Morningstar' crap?!"

"That's your title," Suzuno said simply, "fallen or no, you possessed the courage to stand against all of Heaven at one point! You should be in charge! You still could be! You could rule over Heaven, and I could be your general! We could control everything! Not even the Demon King could stand against you!"

As she spoke, Crestia Bell's face once more grew red, and her eyes widened. Suddenly she was upon Urushihara, her body pressed against his as she pinned him to the ground, their faced inches apart. Strangely enough, Lucifer's face was the epitome of fear, thanks to the feral woman on top of him.

"Just imagine it, you and me, together forever!"

"Hasn't anyone ever taught you about personal space," Urushihara squeaked, trying to free himself from Suzuno's clutches as he felt every inch of her against him.

He finally managed to wriggle free, but Suzuno lunged at him, wrapping her arms around his leg as the fallen angel made a break for it.

"Ravish me," Suzuno proclaimed as Urushihara blanched, "lead me into the dawn, Morningstar!"

"You really gotta get a grip!"

"I have one, and if you'd hold still for a moment, it'd be much more pleasurable for the both of us," Suzuno said loudly.

"That's it," Urushihara shouted, his eyes glowing with a fierce purple glow as he raised a hand, "anti-possession… CHOP!"

He brought his hand down in a fierce karate chop, straight down onto the top of Suzuno's head. She fell to the floor, stunned as she recovered from the attack. Urushihara's legs gave out, and lightning flashed in his limbs. Somehow, Urushihara doubted it was his 'fight or flight' response that had gotten him so riled up.

"Feeling better," he asked.

"Let me love you," Suzuno shouted, luning at him once more.

"Dammit all," Urushihara said, bringing his hand up once more, "Fallen Angel Secret Attack, Light of the-"

But before he could finish naming his attack, he was once more pounced upon by Suzuno, but now she looked at him with tears in her eyes and a frown upon her face.

"Y-you shouldn't try to run away from people when they're trying to love you," Suzuno stammered.

"I generally wouldn't mind if it didn't feel like I was in danger," Urushihara reasoned, breathing hard as he tried to avoid Suzuno's fierce, watery gaze.

"You were never in any danger, I just…."

Suzuno's argument faded away, and she finally seemed to realize that her methods were rather tactless. She pushed herself off of Urushihara, tears falling from her eyes as she knelt upon the floor.

"You fought against Heaven… you turned against everything you'd ever known… you were the Lightbringer, and I thought that if I could get you to open up… If I could- if we were to connect- somehow you could bring _me_ some light as well."

"And how does that relate to what you were just trying to do?"

"It doesn't," Suzuno admitted quietly, "but still, I believe in you, Lightbringer. You may be a Fallen Angel, but you've shown more conviction than God himself… to me you're more divine than the Pearly Gates themselves. "

"All because I gave up on Heaven and lived in the Demon World? You humans are so cliché it kinda makes me wanna laugh and throw up at the same time," Urushihara smirked.

"There it is again," Suzuno sighed, looking hard at Urushihara, "you joke and you jest, but in the end, I still know you. I can see clear through to the real you. You loved Heaven, didn't you? You loved your compatriots, and you loved your creator! You were happy, but when they asked you to murder, and destroy, and wreak havoc in the name of all that was good, you couldn't take it. Unlike the others, you dared to question everything! You became Heaven's most dangerous foe, even more so than the Devil! You, the shining beacon of hope for Heaven, suddenly learned better than to follow blindly."

"What's your point," Urushihara asked quietly, trying to contain the shakiness in his voice.

Never before had anyone thought so intensely about why Urushihara had fallen. No one had ever been so keen as to guess his motives, and so when Suzuno recounted every single one of his doubts back to him, as though she had seen it all first hand, the fallen angel was floored.

"My point is, you and I are so alike it's uncanny," Suzuno said, pulling her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around her legs, "you had more to lose, of course, you were more than just some Inquisitor to the Church… but I turned my back on all of my beliefs, and suddenly I was left wondering… is there a god? If so, why doesn't he smite the evildoers? Why doesn't he do anything?"

"So you were looking for a god," Lucifer reasoned, "and you saw me?"

"… yes."

"Well, first things first," Urushihara said, standing from the floor, "I'm no god. In fact, there is no real 'god'. As of now, a very powerful and influential angel controls Heaven. But back to the matter at hand…"

He knelt next in front of Suzuno, placing his hands upon her bare shoulders and staring straight into her eyes, his arms shaking from the contact.

"If you want to survive as an outcast, you have to not care what anyone else thinks," Urushihara said, "that includes me. I'm not a savior, I don't have all the answers. Angels aren't divine, we're just like humans, only powerful. We have feelings, we have doubts, we have weaknesses. So the first thing you need to know… is that no one can save you from what you've done."

Suzuno's eyes widened suddenly, and the faces of her victims came to the forefront of her mind, paralyzing her as Urushihara's words were etched into her soul.

"All you can do is try to make amends, and forgive yourself. You gave up the Church because it was the right thing to do. That's a pretty good start. Then you made some super powerful friends who feel the same way you do, which is also a step in the right direction… but then you tried to seduce me with corny one liners and a very…exposing kimono. I think that's a few steps backward, to be honest."

"Gah-what are you doing," Suzuno shrieked as Urushihara lifted her from the floor, carrying her like a princess in his arms.

"I'm gonna lay you down," he said shortly, "I think you need to get some rest."

Suzuno allowed herself to be carried to her bed, where Urushihara gently set her down and promptly covered her with a blanket. He went to turn away when suddenly Suzuno gripped his wrist and pulled, forcing him to sit in the bed.

"What, do you want me to read you a story or something?"

"I'm a grown woman, and savior or not, I intend to get through to you," Suzuno reasoned.

Urushihara was about to refute her statement, but the Inquisitor of the Church cut him off by planting her lips against his. Urushihara's eyes widened and he blushed as Suzuno closed her eyes, trying to convey everything she couldn't say in that single moment.

She suddenly pulled away, leaving Lucifer stunned as he curled a finger around a lock of his hair, his face red as he avoided looking at Suzuno. She smiled at him, and suddenly a question formed that she couldn't help but ask.

"Was that your first kiss," Suzuno queried.

"Wha-no! Of course not! I meet women all the time! I kiss lots of girls," Urushihara said loudly, looking outraged.

"You're a terrible liar," Suzuno laughed, pecking Urushihara upon the lips once more before laying back down.

The fallen angel looked as though he wanted to continue arguing, or kissing, but in the end he simply walked away in a huff, striding back and forth across the apartment as he absentmindedly put away the uneaten feast Suzuno had prepared for him. He seemed overly distracted, occasionally opening the wrong drawer or cupboard, only to quietly curse to himself. Finally, he chanced a glance at Suzuno, who was dozing peacefully in her bed before Urushihara took to the closet, sliding the door shut and turning on his laptop.

"G'night, Urushihara."

He didn't reply, instead he clicked upon the internet browser and entered the website for the popular search engine, 'Froogle!' He sat there for a moment, wondering what he should search for, but Suzuno's actions left him confused and unsure, so he closed his laptop and sighed.

"Good night, Bell."

 **Woohoo! This has gotta be the most I've posted in such a short period of time in... years. Anyway, I was at work a few days ago, and I suddenly had this idea for a scene in which Suzuno tried to seduce Urushihara with really bad biblical pickup lines, and it made me laugh. Needless to say, I probably looked like a madman, standing there and laughing to myself about the situation, but after seeing it in my head, I knew I had to try and make it happen. And I did, to some extent, but I feel as though I'm missing a few pickup lines... if I ever remember them, I'll rewrite the scene. Anyway, a couple more relationships get some fleshing out/advancement, lots of fluffy stuff (I think that's the term... or is it a lemon? I'm not very familiar with fanfic lingo.)**

 **Moving right along, I've received a bunch of reviews, and I'm very grateful for every single one! I've gotten some interesting suggestions from reviewers that I'm currently mulling over, and we'll see if they bear any fruit. In the next chapter, I'll try to get some Rika/Ashiya going, cause they've been in the background for a while. I also learned a new term from a review, called the Cerberus... something or another... it's essentially a trope where the story losses its humor in favor of gritty reality. (And I didn't really learn it, I googled it.)**

 **That's essentially the entire ending of this chapter. It began with a funny idea at work that made me laugh, and turned into philosophical discussion about God and whether or not there was one. Boom, zero to one hundred... again.**

 **MUSIC!**

 **Unfortunately, I've exhausted the majority of my recent musical discoveries in the last couple chapters, so I'll try to think of some that fit the mood... sorry for repeats**

 **Dirty Minds Think Alike-Here Come the Mummys**

 **Take Me to Church-Hozier**

 **Weak-AJR**

 **Believer-Imagine Dragons**

 **Dear Alice-Arai Tatsuku**

 **An Unhealthy Obsession- The Blake Robinson Synthetic Orchestra**

 **Bones-Quinn XCII**

 **For those of you who've read this far... I figured I'd take a moment to explain a few things about how I made Suzuno try to seduce Urushihara. First things first, she'd just realized a very deep truth about him, and felt as though she knew him. Coupled with her loneliness and her inexperience in matters of the heart (along with some bad advice from someone I'll bring up in the next chapter) she decided that it was the best course of action. There's truly no faster way to an angels heart than through his... well, you know.**


	24. The Devil and the Hero: Midnight Flight

The day before Suzuno's failed seduction, after dropping Emi off at her house, Suzuno was sitting in the back seat of her driver's taxi, thinking hard as she was chauffeured to Sasazuka faster than most people dared to drive. She had her arms folded in front of her, staring out of the window as she pondered her situation.

It was clear to her that she was infatuated with Urushihara, but it was far more than physical… it was almost a need, or an obsession. Unfortunately, Crestia Bell, the Inquisitor of the Church, was not much of a lover. Sure, she'd had missions where it was required she take drastic measures, but she'd always been pardoned afterward, and she never went all the way. She was a killer, and sometimes that meant using her tongue to force poison down her victim's throat.

She gagged a little as the memories floated to the surface.

"Blergh," she said, threatening to vomit upon the floor.

"You alright back there," the driver asked.

"Pull over!"

He did as bidden, slamming on his breaks and swerving across two lanes to get close to the sidewalk. Suzuno threw open the door to the taxi and sprinted for an alleyway, her stomach purging itself of bile as her throat burned and her eyes watered.

When she was finished, she leaned against the wall of the alleyway, crying and panting as she felt her world spin around her.

She was in love with a fallen angel, her sworn enemy, and the most demonized figure in all Ente Isla, including Satan Jacob… but the more she thought about it, the more she came to terms with the fact that he had been right to leave Heaven. He hadn't simply done it because he wanted to, there was far more to it than that.

"Are you alright, Ms. Kamazuki," her driver called.

"Change of plans," Suzuno said, spitting to remove the taste of vomit, "we need to make a stop before I return to the Villa Rosa."

And that was why, half an hour later, Suzuno was striding up the bleach white steps of Tokyo Counseling Services, wherein she marched up to the front desk and inquired about visitation.

"We generally don't allow visitors unless you're a direct relative of the patient, I'm sorry," the lady at the desk said.

"Please, it's very important. I am a close personal friend of Rika's, and I need to speak with her," Suzuno said, fighting the urge to simply use magic and do things the easy way.

"There's just no way I can-"

"Suzuno?"

The Inquisitor whipped around to find Ashiya and Rika standing behind her, looking as though they'd just arrived from somewhere. They both had their coats on, as the nights were getting colder, and their cheeks were pink.

"Rika! Thank goodness, I need your help," Suzuno said, walking up to the demon and the human.

"Rika is in no fit state to be bothered," Ashiya chided, "any concerns will have to go through me."

"This is a personal matter," Suzuno growled, "and I have no problem going through you."

Suzuno reached up and menacingly plucked her hair clip from her head, letting her hair fall about her shoulders as she tossed the clip up and down. Anyone else might've been misled by the scene, but Ashiya knew full well the power of Suzuno's hammer.

"Your threats do you little credit," Ashiya said in an undertone, sweat beading his forehead, "however… if Rika has no objections…"

"It'll be fine," Rika said, picking up on Suzuno's attitude and developing several theories, "could you please carry everything up to my room? Me and Suzuno are gonna go sit in the tea shop."

"As you wish," Ashiya said, bowing to the women before taking Rika's shopping and marching off towards the elevator.

"This place has a tea shop," Suzuno asked.

"This place has an indoor swimming pool, too," Rika said, smiling widely as she lead Suzuno into the small, separate area with a counter and baristas.

They sat in a corner booth where they could be sure no one was listening, and then Suzuno proceeded to cast the same spell as she had earlier with Emi. The pressure caused Rika to shiver and look around uneasily before smiling at Suzuno once more.

"C'mon, out with it," Rika said suddenly, putting her hand on Suzuno's, "what is it? What's the scoop? How have you been?"

Suzuno raised an eyebrow. She was sure Rika would still be bedridden and full of anguish and confusion… she had just found out that another world existed, after all, and that it was filled with demons, angels, and magic. How could she still be so upbeat and outgoing, even after having her reality turned on its head?

"Ms. Suzuki-"

"Rika."

"Fine," Suzuno said, "Rika it is… am I correct in assuming Ashiya has told you about Ente Isla?"

"Yep," Rika said, "and I'll tell you the same thing I told Maou! I want to keep my memories, so if that's why you're here-"

"No, I'm not-that's not why… I was only wondering if you knew who I was, before I came here," Suzuno asked, leaning forward slightly.

"High Inquisitor Crestia Bell, right?"

"Uh, yeah," Suzuno said, put off by how happy Rika was.

A barista came over and took their orders, belaying the conversation until he was out of earshot. Finally, Suzuno asked a more serious question.

"Then you know what I've done? You know what I was tasked with doing while I worked as the Church's butcher?"

"Ashiya told me a bit about it," Rika admitted, smiling apologetically, "but still, I don't think any less of you! I promise, you'll always be sweet, lovable Suzuno to me!"

"And what of Urushihara," Suzuno asked quickly, keeping her eyes fixed upon Rika's face.

Rika took a sip of her coffee before inhaling deeply and fanning her lips. She mumbled, shaking her head as she blinked away tears.

"Sorry, the coffee's really hot… anyway, what about Urushihara?"

"Well, I suppose my first question is what do you know about him?"

"From what Ashiya says, he's a lazy, good for nothing lay-about," Rika shrugged, "is there really more to him?"

"He is Ente Islan," Suzuno murmured, "but he's also so much more. Have you ever heard the name 'Lucifer'?"

"You mean, the Devil? Like… like Maou," Rika whispered.

"No, Lucifer," Suzuno said, shaking her head, "the fallen angel?"

"Yeah, the Devil!"

"No, the Devil is Satan Jacob, or Maou… Urushihara, that lay-about, is the fallen angel, Lucifer."

"Wait, so there are two Devils? I'm confused…"

Suzuno sighed, unsure of where to begin. She could tell Rika was trying her best to remain engaged and focused, but it was obviously difficult for her, as she hadn't quite healed completely.

"No, Lucifer is not the Devil, he his Satan's subordinate."

Suzuno paused, taking a long draught of her green tea. It was rather bland and tasteless, and for how much she'd paid for it, she thought it would've come with some honey in it. With a sigh, she tore open a packet of fake sugar to put in to her tea, stirring it with her straw as Rika absorbed this new information.

"Y'know what, Rika? You're doing much better than I expected, considering all that you know about us," Suzuno remarked with a kind smile.

"I was terrified at first. Ashiya told me about all kinds of terrible things in the Demon World, and he told me about angels and a church, and islands in the shape of a cross," Rika said quietly, "but then I let it sort of sink in, and from what he says, it's extremely difficult to open a gate that'll bring you here to Earth. He also says that you are completely drained of your magic when you arrive, so it helps to protect us normal humans. Then there's the fact that it all just seems so distant and far off… maybe I just don't really feel all that affected by it. I mean, don't get me wrong, I have been affected by it, but you're all so down to Earth and friendly, so I suppose it hasn't really hit me full force yet."

"I'm glad you feel that way, but back to the matter at hand," Suzuno said, "what are your thoughts on Lucifer?"

"From what I know of the bible, he was God's chosen, and the leader of the Archangels," Rika said, thinking hard, "but then he started a revolt, because God wouldn't help the humans, and because he thought that Angels should play a more active role in the upbringing of our young species. In the end, Lucifer and his army of rebels were struck down by the Lord, and they fell from grace, becoming fallen angels. I forget what comes next, but I think Lucifer is cast into hell, and takes the title of the Devil."

"But what about Urushihara? Have you ever met him?"

"I… no, I don't think I have… I may have seen him once or twice, but I don't recall ever actually meeting him."

"Alright, Rika, I'm going to pose a serious question now, and the contents of the conversation must remain between us. Is that understood? No one can know about this, that includes Emi, Maou, Ashiya, and anyone else! It's top secret and highly controversial…"

"I pinky promise I won't tell another living soul," Rika said, holding out her pinky towards Suzuno, who looked at it rather quizzically.

"I guess you don't know what a pinky promise is," Rika sighed, trying not to laugh, "ok, just hold out your pinky like I am… good, and now we just…"

Rika wrapped her pinky around Suzuno's, shaking their hands up and down as they did so. Suzuno was not fond of the sensation, as it felt like Rika could snap her pinky right off at any moment.

"Is this how humans make binding contracts here," Suzuno asked.

"This is how the most loyal people do it," Rika said happily, "if you're going for legally binding, there's a notary in every bank."

"Perhaps we should seek out this notary," Suzuno posed, causing Rika to burst out laughing.

"Sorry, it's just… between us, a pinky promise is better than a notary… trust me, I take these things seriously. Now, tell me, Suzuno, what's your question?"

"Ok, just to reiterate, you know who I am… you also know who Lucifer is, though you seem have a slightly different version of events than those that actually transpired. My question is this: knowing what you do about me and Urushihara, or Lucifer… what is-erm- the best way for me to become closer to this person?"

"You mean… close as in… intimate? Or close as in becoming friends and getting them to open up," Rika asked, trying to clarify for the sake of not making any mistakes in her judgements.

"What's the difference," Suzuno asked with a frown, tilting her head as she looked at Rika.

"Well… anyone can be intimate with another person, it's all physical, there doesn't need to be any connection, more than being attracted to what's on the surface. Being friends requires a lot of work, though sometimes it just happens out of nowhere, but if you want to be friends with someone, I'd suggest you don't try too hard. If you do, you only end up forcing a friendship, whereas it's supposed to be something fun and enjoyable for both parties."

"When you speak of intimacy, are you referring to coitus," Suzuno asked bluntly.

Rika nearly spat out her coffee. Instead, she simply swallowed a little harder than usual and thumped her chest as she coughed, pain welling in her abdomen as she tried to recover.

"Well, yeah, but I'm not recommending that you-I mean-"

"I am much older than I look Rika," Suzuno said quietly, "and I am not above trying such tactics… imagine, for a moment, that you met the Angel, Lucifer, from your bible. He is handsome and reserved, but you know that he cares, and you would do anything to draw out the passion he showed before he fell from grace… what would you do? If you thought he could help you to abolish a Church run by fools, and overthrow an archaic hierarchy of angels long overdue for a dismantling, how would you make it happen?"

"Honestly… I have no idea what I'd do," Rika said, smiling as she pondered the question, "this whole thing sorta goes over my head, but I can give you a couple good, general pieces of advice… first and foremost, be direct about your motives… guys are idiots. Make what you want clear to him! Secondly, it sounds like there's a lot more riding on this than I know, so… I would recommend you do whatever you feel most comfortable with. If you're friends already, then maybe it's time to kick things up a notch."

Suzuno was quiet for a moment as she contemplated everything Rika had said, drawing her own conclusions from the woman's advice as she breathed in the scent of her green tea with her eyes closed. Finally, she opened her eyes and drained her cup before standing.

"You've been most helpful, Rika. Thank you for your advice, I'll make use of it in the tribulations to come, I assure you. For now-"

"Wait," Rika said suddenly, looking rather scandalized, "you can't possibly think about leaving right now! I thought you were going to hang out with me! You could spend the night if you wanted, and we could talk more about-uh-stuff."

"I had hoped to begin preparations as soon as possible," Suzuno said, looking at the clock on her phone," but I suppose it is late… I can't believe we've been talking since twenty-two hundred," Suzuno muttered to herself.

"Is that military time," Rika asked.

"It is the time format most often used by formal organizations, yes," Suzuno agreed, "and if you don't mind, I would indeed take you up on the offer to spend the night."

"Yes," Rika said, pumping her fist into the air, "we are gonna get so much done tomorrow, just wait and see!"

Rika lead Suzuno out of the tea shop by the hand, dragging the short girl along as she made for her patient's suite on the top floor.

"What-what are we going to do tomorrow," Suzuno asked.

"I'm taking us for a girl's day out, my treat," Rika said happily, stars in her eyes as she laid out her plans for the day.

"First I'm thinking we go for a soak in the hot tub, then we can do brunch at this cute little restaurant, and we can get mani-pedis after that. We can hit a clothes store, too, and see about spicing up one of your kimonos, and then I'm thinking we go out and get massages and finish off at the salon for a full makeover!"

Suzuno simply allowed herself to be pulled into the elevator as Rika spoke, her stream of ideas continuing nonstop as the elevator ascended to the top floor of the psychiatric institution.

The next day was filled with quite a few more activities than Rika had originally planned. However, because Ashiya was so protective of Rika, who'd not yet fully recuperated, he'd insisted that he join them whenever they left the building, sitting dutifully in the corner of the salon as Rika and Suzuno got makeovers. Of course, this meant that discussion of Suzuno's plan was off limits, and the kimono that had been 'spiced up' had to go without inspection by Rika, as Ashiya was standing close behind her.

"Well, it's been fun," Rika said, hugging Suzuno as she made to get out of the cab, "be good, stay safe, and visit me again soon! I had a lot of fun."

"Yeah, so did I," Suzuno said with a large smile, feeling better than she had in some time, "I'll try to visit some more this weekend, perhaps we can rally all the Ente Islans… and thank you for your advice!"

Finally, Suzuno removed herself from the taxi and waved as it pulled away from the sidewalk in front of the Villa Rosa, Rika waving back through the rear window as it went.

"Wait, what advice did you give the Inquisitor," Ashiya asked, wondering if it had been the reason Rika hadn't spoken to him all day.

"Just girl stuff," Rika said with a smirk, batting her eyelashes as Ashiya, "what say we go get some MgRonalds from the Hatagaya station? Maou might be working. We could say hi, and try to get him and Emi to visit during the weekend."

"An excellent idea," Ashiya said, trying to push the thought of Rika and Suzuno conspiring together from his mind.

Rika, who didn't receive many visitors, looked quite happy about Suzuno coming to her, and even though Ashiya wasn't sure what they'd been talking about, he was glad it made Rika feel better. Lately, she'd been rather withdrawn, so having another person able to look after her, to some extent, was a huge boon for the Demon General. It wasn't that he didn't care for Rika, it was that she needed human interaction to properly recover, and Ashiya only had so much of that in supply, what with his being a demon and all.

Rika had taken to eating MgRonalds quite frequently as well, as the food was relatively cheap, and it was loaded with calories and carbs, which would help her to regain some of her lost weight. Overall, she'd regained much of what she had lost, though when she thought Ashiya wasn't paying attention, she would become silent and contemplative, looking sad as she thought about everything that had been revealed to her.

"Does Emilia work today as well," Ashiya asked, breaking Rika from her stupor.

"Hmm… I think she does, but she'd have gotten off a little while ago. After MgRonalds, should we go and see her, too? We can invite her over for the weekend! And what about my darling little Chiho," Rika squeaked, looking thrilled at the thought of Chiho coming to visit her.

"Chiho is incredibly busy," Ashiya reminded Rika, "she is an impeccable student, an excellent athlete, and a hardworking young woman… she may not have time to visit."

"I know, but I still wanna invite her! Plus I can just text her and find out," Rika reasoned, pulling out her phone, and tapping away at the screen faster than Ashiya could follow.

'I suppose I should let Maou know that we're coming,' Ashiya thought, closing his eyes as he focused his magical power upon finding the only other demon nearby. Just as planned, Ashiya could sense his lord, hard at work, focused on some task or another as he fluttered across the Hatagaya MgRonalds like a tsunami of fast food supremacy.

'My lord,' Ashiya thought, transmitting the idea link, 'can you hear me?'

'Ashiya? Is that you,' Maou responded, sounding quite surprised.

'It is, sire, Rika Suzuki and I will be stopping by shortly so as to collect a copious amount of food. Please prepare accordingly. Also, she has inquired as to whether or not you will be able to visit her this weekend,' Ashiya said with his mind.

'I'll enter the fray and work the cook line myself so as to provide the best service! And I was planning on visiting you guys this weekend anyway, Emi will likely come along as well, provided Rika is ok with that,' Maou thought quickly, sending three of his team members on break as he prepared to work the food line.

'You can relay that yourself, sire. I will see you in a few minutes. Be prepared.'

The idea link was severed, and Maou was left wondering what sort of appetite Rika Suzuki would come in with. He suddenly regretted sending three of his coworkers on break, but there was little he could do about it now.

"Whatever, Rika's pretty skinny, and Ashiya probably won't even order anything," Maou scoffed to himself, "this'll be a cakewalk."

Within a matter of minutes, Maou had readied the work station for just about any order, combo or otherwise, so that he could operate at maximum efficiency. There was already a fresh serving of french fries waiting by the fryer, and Maou flexed his hands as if he were about to be involved in a gunfight.

"Battle commences," he said as Rika and Ashiya walked into the store, looking at Maou rather pointedly.

Maou approached the register, putting forth his best smile, and his most welcoming tone.

"Hi there, and welcome to MgRonalds! What can I get for you today," Maou asked.

"Give us a moment, please," Rika said kindly, looking over the menu as she and the tall, blonde man with her perused it with interest, muttering between themselves. Finally, Ashiya blanched and looked apologetic as Rika slammed a fistful of cash down upon the counter.

"Right! I'll have four BigMg Combos, to go ,all large, and all with cherry cola," Rika said loudly, looking at Maou with a challenging glare.

"Very well, if that is what you want… that is what you shall have," Maou proclaimed, heading back into the kitchen.

'Four of the same order,' Maou thought to himself, 'this is too easy!'

"I wasn't finished," Rika said sassily, "I'd also like… three large ice-cream cones!"

Maou felt Rika's words pierce through him like a lance as he slowly turned to glower at her. Everyone knew that the Hatagaya MgRonalds ice cream machine was unreliable at the best of times. Maou thought hard for a moment before smiling kindly once more.

"Certainly. Any particular flavor?"

That seemed to rock Rika's confidence. She looked at Ashiya and shook her head before the Demon General spoke.

"Two vanilla, one chocolate," Ashiya ordered.

"It shall be done!"

Maou took to the kitchen with zeal, powering on the ice cream machine and setting a new guy to watch it, showing him all the tips and tricks he used in getting it to work.

"Sometimes you have to kick it.. not too hard, not too soft, and if you still aren't getting anything to come out, call me back over," Maou commanded of the young man.

"Yessir!"

Maou took to the fryer, starting the fresh fries and letting them cook while he made four BigMg Combo sandwiches. The meat patties were thicker, and took longer to cook, but that was alright, it gave him time to watch the fries and double check the ice cream machine as he waited.

"I'm still not getting any chocolate to come out," the new guy spluttered, gently kicking the ice cream machine.

"Step back," Maou said quickly, rolling his sleeves up to his shoulders and taking a karate stance.

"Hiyaa!"

Maou struck the top of the machine with a karate chop, his eyes glowing with a malign scarlet as he used his magic to make the machine work.

"Try it again," Maou said quickly, taking off for the grill as he heard the timer chime, signaling the meat was ready.

Fortunately, he'd prepared everything else beforehand, so assembling the sandwiches was a breeze. They were put into little cardboard boxes emblazoned with large letters, labeling them as the BigMg Combo, and finally, four large cherry colas were filled, along with four large french fry cups.

"Order up," Maou said, smiling at Rika, his eyebrow raised as she smirked at him.

"And the ice cream," she asked.

"Here are those ice cream cones," the new guy said, balancing them as best he could and bringing them to Maou.

"Perfect, thank you. You can go on break," Maou said in an undertone before turning back to Rika, who looked impressed.

"Wow… you're good. Every other time I've ordered ice cream, they said the machine was down! I'll have to let all my friends know that it's working again," Rika said slyly.

"Of course," Maou said cheerily, making a mental note to warn Kisaki about their forthcoming need for a new ice cream machine, "and do feel free to stop by whenever you like!"

"Speaking of stopping by," Rika said, looking quite at home as she sipped her soda, "do you think you will have some time off this weekend? I was gonna have a little get together for everyone."

"I'll be working a half day on Saturday, but I haven't decided which half of the day I'll be working. Let me know when you have a time set and I'll be there. Emi will probably come with me."

"With you," Rika asked suddenly, looking rather interested in pursuing the topic.

"I've been living with her since my apartment was sealed off, so yeah, I'll be coming with her, unless I get a call from Raphael."

"Raphael," Rika asked.

"Long story," Ashiya said quietly, "Archangel and former police officer, but I guess he's the Fire Commissioner for the Sasazuka District now."

"An Archangel? But aren't they-"

"Raphael's cool," Maou said, looking around to make sure no one could hear them. It was already getting dark out, so chances were good that there would only be a few stragglers here and there until closing time.

"So, other than that, how have you been m'lord," Ashiya asked politely.

"Fine, I guess. Kisaki's been really awesome about my attendance, but I guess Emi got suspended from work for missing one day. I can't imagine having to work under her boss," Maou said, shaking his head.

"Wait, what?! You mean that bastard Mitsude suspended Emi," Rika asked suddenly, looking outraged.

"Yeah, that was his name," Maou said, "I guess Emi's been suspended for today and tomorrow. She'll be back to work after the weekend. At least she still has her job, though."

"That's just idiotic," Rika seethed, as if she hadn't even heard Maou, "I'm still out on leave, and then he goes and suspends one of our best customer service reps?! Me taking time off is one thing, but having both of us gone at once is just…ugh."

Rika continued to look sour while Ashiya and Maou talked for a bit, discussing trifles as they caught up, though there wasn't much they could really say to each other in confidence.

"Well, it's good that you are well," the blonde Demon General smiled, "anyway, Rika and I should really get going. We're off to invite Emi over this weekend."

"Alright… I suppose I'll see you guys sometime this weekend."

"Work the first half of the day," Rika said suddenly, "and when you're finished with work, I want you at my suite, clean and dressed in… something better than normal."

"I'm not wearing that thrice damned tuxedo! I swear I'll burn it if you-"

"Not a tux," Rika interrupted, rolling her eyes, "but.. I dunno, maybe a nice pair of jeans with no stains? And a shirt that isn't so faded that it's illegible."

"Why the dress code," Maou asked.

"The Institute where I'm staying is a really nice place… I'm talking millionaire status… Whatever you do, please try not to look like a-"

"Transient bum," Maou suggested, causing Rika to recoil.

"Did you just use your freaky demon magic to read my mind?"

"No, I've just… heard that term used to describe me on more than one occasion," Maou said, smiling to cover up his embarrassment.

"Oh, and before I forget, it's a sleepover, so bring a change of clothes, and anything else you might need," Rika said, turning away from the counter, leaving Ashiya to grab their food and follow her out of the restaurant, "later, Maou!"

"Goodbye, sire!"

"Later guys," Maou said, waving off his two most troublesome customers of the day.

Once his co-workers began to trickle back onto the restaurant floor, however, Maou looked at the time and became frustrated.

"Aw, come on, guys! Where were you, it's been, like, half an hour!"

"You said we could take a long break," they all said, "remember? So long as Kisaki doesn't know, we all take long breaks when things slow down."

"I gotta stop being so damn nice," Maou muttered, pulling his hat from his head and wiping his brow before heading to the break room to take his own long break.

Later that evening, after visiting with Emi for an hour and a half, during which Ashiya heard Rika and Emi both call their boss many nasty names, Rika was lying in bed, and Ashiya was reading in the chair he kept next to her bedside. He'd always been fond of reading, as it gave him a sense of wonderment. It pulled him from his body and allowed him to learn new things, and that was a greater power than any amount of magic, either demonic or celestial, could provide.

"Now what are you reading," Rika asked, looking up from her favorite TV show.

"Secrets of the Human Mind," Ashiya replied, "I was hoping it would offer some insight into your condition… unfortunately, it seems to be some crackpot's manual on telekinesis and other mental powers… as if one could do those things with their minds alone…"

"Some people believe in that kind of thing," Rika said, thinking about how she loved to watch popular magicians of the time perform incredible feats.

"True enough, but the fact remains that without the proper energy, incantation, and willpower, you'll simply give yourself an aneurism trying to levitate during meditation," Ashiya explained seriously.

"What, so you can levitate," Rika asked.

"I am capable of true flight! I do not just levitate… though I can, when necessity dictates…."

"That's awesome… Ashiya?"

"Yes, Rika?"

"Could we… could we go flying sometime?"

Ashiya was silent, and he peered over the top of his book at Rika with a blank expression. Rika suddenly felt childish for asking, and she shook her head quickly.

"We don't-I mean- you don't have to if you don't want to, or if you think it's a bad idea. I just-"

"We can go flying whenever you like," Ashiya interrupted, smiling as he spoke, "say the word and we can go!"

"Wha-you mean-right now?!"

"If you wish it," Ashiya said, setting his book aside and running his fingers through his hair as he tried to consider every variable. He'd have to cloak them from any prying eyes on the ground, and possibly have to cast a spell to alleviate any fear of heights Rika might possess. Then he'd have to make it so that they were both flying, and he wasn't just carrying her all over.

"Yes, I think we can go now," Ashiya said, standing from his chair and going to the window.

He threw open the curtains and found himself looking out at a bright, moonlit night. Opening the window, he found that it was quite chilly, and it would only get worse when shooting around in the sky at high speeds. Perhaps a spell to shield Rika from the cold was in order, as well.

Without warning, Rika was behind Ashiya, and she threw her arms around his chest, hugging him from behind as he surveyed the night. His eyes widened, and glowed with a burning iridescence. Ashiya felt his heart begin working double-time as his entire being trilled with energy.

"Ms. Suzuki," Ashiya asked quietly.

"Geez," Rika purred into Ashiya's back, "I thought we were past all that 'Ms. Suzuki' stuff."

"Er, right. Of course, Rika… I was just wondering why you were hugging me."

"To thank you, I thought that would be obvious," Rika said, still securely fastened to Ashiya, "I've never even flown in an airplane… I always thought they would crash, so I always drove everywhere, or took the train. Still, if it's with you, I'm sure it'll be alright!"

"Of course it will be," Ashiya said, taking extreme pride in being Rika's anchor.

"Alright, I'm ready to start," Rika said, breathlessly, digging her face into Ashiya's back as she waited to take off."

"Look down, Rika."

She did, and she quickly realized that she was hovering several inches off of the floor. The sudden lack of support caused her to flail for a moment before she gripping Ashiya's hand as tightly as she could.

"You didn't tell me we were already-"

"I figured it would be best to get the hard part out of the way," Ashiya said with a shrug, "is there anywhere in particular you wished to go?"

"Uhhh," Rika was at a loss, both because she'd never really considered going sightseeing in Tokyo, and because she was unsure of the extent of Ashiya's abilities. She thought about it for a moment longer before coming to one conclusion.

"I don't care, so long as we go together."

Ashiya turned, looking almost as if he were peering out of the window, but in reality he was trying his best to hide his feelings from Rika. Ashiya had never known companionship such as this, and especially never with a woman, or even a female demon. He had always thought himself above such matters. The Demon General Alciel's mind was his greatest strength, and using it, he'd laid waste to the majority of Ente Isla… so why did it suddenly feel like his great brain had turned into mush?

"I…am grateful for your company, Rika," Ashiya said quietly, "now, let us be off!"

Faster than Rika could comprehend, Ashiya had tossed aside the curtains and they had soared outside, rocketing upward as they sought to clear the oppressive buildings and get a better view. They came to a rest beneath the clouds, but still high enough to see a broad horizon, albeit a few large towers that blocked the view.

"Should we go to Tokyo Tower," Ashiya suggested, thinking that the lights would be spectacular to behold.

"Yeah," Rika said, shaking slightly as she crushed Ashiya's ribs in a death grip.

"Are you alright?"

"F-fine."

Ashiya smiled and wrapped his arms around Rika, smothering her in warmth as he waited for her shaking to cease. It took a couple minutes, but Rika finally settled down and opened her eyes, looking around apprehensively.

"W-well, not dead yet," she murmured, an anxious smirk on her face as she glanced downward, her brow perspiring.

"Trust me, when we start moving, you won't even notice you're flying," Ashiya said softly.

"Just don't let go of me," Rika said.

"At your command," Ashiya muttered, holding Rika a little more tightly.

"Here we go!"

The two of them were off faster than a bullet from a gun, spiraling into the night as they clung to each other. Rika was surprised at how little she felt as they went. The wind, which should've been howling in her ears, was little more than a light breeze that caressed her in a comforting grip. The chilliness that was usually associated with great heights was dampened as well, if not entirely removed, and when Rika looked down, she did not feel her stomach turn as it usually did whenever she was somewhere up high. The streets beneath her were lit up with the headlights of cars and orange street lights as she and Ashiya outstripped even the fastest of trains and vehicles. They passed by a large section of the city was that fraught with skyscrapers so dizzyingly high that they made Ashiya and Rika feel tiny as they shot around them.

They flew through this jungle of glass and steel until they came to a more level area, and towering above it all was a great orange tower striped with white lines, and nestled beneath it was a large center, wherein was housed the elevator. The building housing the elevator, and the tower itself, were both closed that late at night, but the lights were still on as Rika and Ashiya touched down on the topmost observation deck.

"Oh, wow," Rika said quietly, gazing out over the skyline at all the lights. It was surreal to stand on high without a sense of fear, and she walked right up to the edge without feeling any sort of discomfort. With a giggle, she held a foot out over the ledge, savoring the thrill of the adrenaline without any of the fear.

"Rika," Ashiya said quietly, coming up from behind her, "come away from the ledge."

"There's nothing to be scared of though," Rika replied, "I'm with you after all… if I fell, you'd catch me!"

"I'd certainly try," Ashiya said with a smile.

Rika giggled and gently punched Ashiya on the shoulder before taking his arm and wrapping it around her shoulders. Ashiya's face turned a funny color in the orange light of the tower, but the both of them stood there, resolute in their mutual affections as they gazed out over the world.

"You know, Rika… after I've helped m'lord complete his task-"

"Do you have to call him that," Rika interrupted with a pout, "it sounds weird, and I can't really picture him as a King."

"I do, as you very well know," Ashiya sighed before continuing, "now as I was saying, after all is said and done, how would you feel about accompanying me to Ente Isla? Or perhaps you would rather I stay here with you?"

"Wait, are you asking me-"

"You don't have to answer now," Ashiya said, turning Rika around so she could see his smile, "but after my time as a Demon General is done, I will have an awful lot of time on my hands, and I'd like to spend it with you."

Ashiya was unsure of how Rika would react, but he knew in his heart that she was the one he wanted to spend his time with. Ashiya would always care for his King, but Rika, it seemed, had wriggled her way into the Demon General's heart, and supplanted Maou as the most cherished companion.

"I want to see Ente Isla," Rika said quickly, looking amazed at the opportunity, "and once everything is settled over there, I would love to travel the world with you!"

"You understand, of course, that it may take some time," Ashiya asked, as logical as ever, "the situation is delicate, and may not be resolved for some time, if ever."

"I'll wait," Rika said, "however long it takes, I'll wait for you to come back, and whisk me away into a new world!"

Rika swooned in Ashiya's arms, making the Demon General roll his eyes at her theatrics. Rika peeked an eye open at Ashiya before standing on her own once more and smirking.

"I don't suppose I can meet your parents, can I," Rika asked.

"They would love to have you for dinner," Ashiya said darkly.

"You mean, they'd eat me," Rika shrieked indignantly.

"Certainly, they are quite fond of human women…"

"Something tells me you're not joking, either," Rika groaned, covering her mouth as she felt her throat burn.

"I am not," Ashiya smiled, "my parents lived before the unification of Demon Lord Satan… they were powerful, ruling members of their tribes, in fact. Were they not dead, they'd be imprisoned and enslaved by the Demon King for resisting his regime. They quite enjoyed the murder and mayhem."

Rika felt a jolt of fear in her spine as she realized the offspring of two murderous demons had his arms wrapped around her, and she quickly turned to look at Ashiya, who seemed sad and sorrowful, as if reliving every memory of his fallen progenitors. Rika couldn't help but feel stupid for a moment; Ashiya would never hurt her. He was a faithful househusband, and a caring friend!

"Hey, Ashiya?"

"Yes?"

"Let's go home."

Those three words struck a chord within Ashiya's soul, sending a shiver through him as he stared at Rika, who looked at him with a small smirk and a look in her eyes that Ashiya could've fallen into forever.

"As you command, my lady."

"Maou…. Maou, wake up!"

"Hmmm?"

Emi and Maou were lying together, separated by a soft wall of warm pillows. Emi had been lying awake when she'd felt something strange, like an itch in her nose.

"I think something bad is happening."

"What do you mean?"

"I think somethings is wrong with Ashiya and Rika… and maybe with Suzuno and Lucifer," Emi insisted as Maou rubbed his eyes and glared at Emi, still very tired from his shift at work.

"Everything's fine, Emi," Maou grunted, turning over onto his other side and facing away from the Hero, "go back to sleep."

"I think I'm gonna call Rika," Emi said quietly, grabbing her phone from its charger on the nightstand and sliding out of bed.

"M'kay," Maou muttered, already drifting back to sleep as Emi went out into the living room and turned on her phone.

The brightness speared at Emi's eyes for a moment until she turned it down, but by then, the image of her screensaver had burned itself into her retinas. With fumbling thumbs, she keyed in Rika's cell phone number and pressed call. It rang once, twice, three times, and then suddenly cut out, leaving Emi wondering what was going on.

"C'mon, Rika, pick up."

She dialed again. This time, it rang seven times before going to voicemail, leaving Emi growling to herself as she debated whether or not to leave a message.

"Please leave your name and number after the-"

Emi hit the end button before dialing once more. After two rings, Rika finally answered, sounding rather exasperated as she panted.

"H-hello? Emi, is that you," Rika asked, breathing hard into the phone.

"Rika, are you ok? I just got this weird feeling, and I wanted to make sure everything was fine."

It sounded lame to Emi, even before she'd said it, but it was the truth. Rika giggled nervously, still breathing hard as she tried to slow her heartrate.

"No-I mean-yes, everything's fine here. Um, how are you?"

"Well, you know, you were here earlier… not much has changed since then," Emi said, wondering why on earth Rika was breathing so hard… had she just been running?

"Are you ok, Rika? You sound like you just got in from a jog…"

"Um, yes! I was jogging! Y'know, gotta get back in tip-top physical condition," Rika said loudly.

From within the confines of Rika's suite, Ashiya gently whispered into Rika's other ear.

"From what I've seen, you're already in tip-top physical condition."

Rika blushed, pulling her sheets higher to cover her body before elbowing Ashiya, who felt more alive that he had in fifteen hundred years of life… was this the secret to humans and their constantly upbeat attitudes? He'd overlooked how wondrous a woman's company could be… and he wouldn't ever make that mistake again.

"Is that Ashiya? Is he with you," Emi asked suddenly, having heard Ashiya's voice, though she was unable to hear his words.

"Uh, yeah, he's here. He came with me on my run, just in case I get too overwhelmed. We were running together," Rika said, trying to explain the strangeness.

"You were both running at...two in the morning?"

"They weren't running," Maou whispered, poking his head into the living room on his way to the bathroom.

Emi look at Maou, confused for a moment before it finally dawned upon her what she had intervened upon. Maou wiggled his eyebrows and continued on his merry way, leaving Emi to struggle with the reality of the situation.

"Yep, gotta keep in shape… I've been trying to regain weight, and you know what they say, muscle weighs more than fat," Rika said, smirking as Ashiya cracked his back and his neck.

"Ah, ok. Well, I'm gonna go-uh-back to bed. I guess. You two have fun and-um-stay safe on your runs, ok," Emi said, trying to avoid being awkward.

"Hahahaha, yep, will do, Emi! We'll see you this weekend. Say good bye, Ashiya."

"Good evening to you, Hero," Ashiya said, hanging up the phone and tossing it onto his usual chair so that Rika couldn't get distracted anymore from the task at hand.

"Now that your nighttime conversations are finished, perhaps we should-" Ashiya began.

"We're going again," Rika said, rolling on top of Ashiya and straddling him.

Ashiya sighed, resigning himself to the fire burning in Rika's blood.

"At your command, my lady," Ashiya said with a smirk.

"That's the spirit," Rika whispered, bending down and planting a kiss upon Ashiya's lips as the Demon General extended a hand and pulled the cord on the bedside lamp, bathing the both of them in darkness, and the spears of dim light from the full moon.

Back at Emi's apartment, Emi sat in silence, staring at the screen of her phone as she thought about what had happened. How had Maou picked up on that so easily? Why was Emi unable to comprehend the idea of Ashiya and Rika finding comfort in each other? Emi was very nearly tempted to call Urushihara and Suzuno, but the thought of what she might find made her feel sick. Suddenly, the sound of Crestia Bell's voice became all too real in Emi's head.

'Aheheh, no, everything is fine here, really. Luci-I mean-Urushihara and I were just-um-playing a game! No, you don't need to come over, everything is fine, please don't worry yourself about us. We'll see you and Maou, and Rika and Ashiya this weekend!'

And then Emi could hear Lucifer as well.

"Later, Hero. Oh, and would you mind not calling so late? Some of us have things that need doing when it gets dark out."

Emi felt her stomach turn, and she rushed into the bathroom, covering her mouth, only to find Maou relaxing in the tub. She lifted the lid on the toilet and let loose her pent up feelings as she regurgitated her dinner, leaving Maou to yelp and cover himself with a towel.

"Holy shit, Emi are you alright?"

"Do I look alright," she shrieked, her anger flaring as vomit splattered against the porcelain.

Maou removed himself from the bathtub and threw a towel around his waist, pulling at Emi's hair so that she didn't throw up in it. Even after her stomach was empty and she'd let the tears fall from her face, she still gagged and felt her gut tighten as her mind turned to thoughts of Rika and Ashiya.

"What's wrong, Emi?"

"Everything," she whimpered, hiccupping as Maou put her hair in messy ponytail.

"This is because of Rika and Ashiya, isn't it," Maou asked sagely, taking a seat on the edge of the bathtub and crossing his legs so as to conceal his dignity.

"How'd you figure that out, Captain Obvious," Emi seethed, shaking as she leaned back over the toilet again.

"Well, you're not drunk, you haven't eaten anything that would give you food poisoning, and you aren't pregnant, so…"

Even though Maou had been joking, the thought of pregnancy made Emi's eyes widen before she gagged and vomited once more, nothing but clear fluid coming out, as her dinner had already been flushed down the drain.

"What if she is," Emi posed quietly, a sudden fear gripping her as she turned to stare intently at Maou, "what if Rika gets pregnant because of Ashiya? What then, Maou?"

"Well then, I guess I'd be an uncle," Maou said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

Emi stood up and pushed Maou into the bathtub, causing him to splutter indignantly as Emi glared at him disbelievingly. Her entire body was shaking as she looked at Maou, but he didn't dare stand up from the tub.

"It's not that simple," Emi said hysterically, "if something like that did happen, it'd be an abomination! Rika could never live a normal life!"

"She wouldn't have to," Maou said, "Ashiya will take care of her! They can live together in Ente Isla!"

"How can you be so dense," Emi asked, "how can you be so sure that everything will be alright? Maou, we don't even know what will happen, because nothing like this has _ever_ happened before! As far as I'm aware, a demon from Ente Isla has never gotten a human from Earth pregnant!"

"Ok, first off, Ashiya isn't stupid, if he and Rika did decide to do anything, it was consensual, and second of all, it was safe," Maou said, gripping the towel and holding it fast as it tried to float away from him.

"But-"

"But what? What is the issue? They're happy, right? They're good together, aren't they? What could be so wrong about wanting to be happy," Maou asked, his words like knives in Emi's chest, "what's so wrong about sharing yourself with someone you love, and who you know loves you back?!"

"Rika is a human, from Earth, in her early twenties! Ashiya is a fifteen hundred year old demon from another world," Emi shouted, stomping her foot.

"Weren't you just telling me that Ashiya is a great demon, and that you didn't mind the two of them together," Maou asked, standing from the tub and crossing his arms.

"I-I don't," Emi stammered, "but once they start getting physical, I draw the line!"

"Who said that you should be the one to draw that line," Maou asked quickly.

"I'm the Hero! It's my duty," Emi yelled, turning to leave the bathroom.

"Hero or not, you can't force other people to feel how you do! Take it from someone with experience," Maou retaliated, gripping Emi's wrist as she turned to sneer at him.

"Let go of me," Emi growled.

"Not until you calm down," Maou said, noting how Emi's fist was shaking.

"I am calm," Emi said.

"Oh yeah? Then what were you planning on doing? Going over to Rika's, kicking down the door, and-"

"Stabbing Ashiya in his stupid face," Emi muttered, extending a hand as the Holy Sword appeared in her fist.

"Emi, put the sword away," Maou said sharply.

"No," Emi snapped, twirling the sword as if it weighed nothing at all.

Maou sighed, tightening his grip on Emi's arm as she tried to pull away, her sword twitching violently as she glared into Maou's deep, scarlet eyes.

"Emi, c'mere."

Maou let go of Emi's wrist, holding out his arms to the Hero, who was no longer locked in place by Maou's hand, but by her own heart.

"You can't let your fear of the unknown ruin your ability to love. You love Rika, right? Well, she loves Ashiya, and I can tell you that he loves her back... Let them be, for now. C'mon, Emi, let's just go back to bed."

Inch by silvery inch, the blade of the sword shrank as Emi's anger subsided, replaced by an overwhelming amount of shame and uncertainty. Finally, the hilt faded from her grasp and she sighed, going up to Maou and hugging him. They stood together, locked in a warm, comforting embrace, until Emi broke the contact, looking sad and lonely as she turned to survey herself in the mirror. Her eyes were red, her face still carried traces of bile, and her tongue tasted strongly of it.

"You know what, Emi, I'm proud of you. You're pretty good at this Hero stuff," Maou said, standing behind her with a small smile on his face.

"Don't make fun of me," Emi sighed, her eyes watering once more, "I still might stab you."

"I'm not… being a Hero isn't about making things fit in your tiny little box of perception. It's about doing what's best for everyone else, at the expense of your own opinions or morals. Anyway, the water is still warm if you wanted to wash up… and you should probably brush your teeth before you come back to bed."

"No shit," Emi said, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, seriously…I think you're making the right choice."

Maou reached around and hugged Emi again as she stared at herself in the mirror. Finally she looked at Maou, who had his arms wrapped about her shoulders, his eyes closed, trying his damndest to convey feelings of warmth and happiness through the contact. The Hero fought back a smile before hardening her voice and clearing her throat.

"You should go back to bed," Emi said quietly, "I'll be in there soon."

"I'll probably be sleeping… that hot bath really loosened up my muscles. See you in the morning Emi."

"Yeah, see you in the morning, Maou."

Maou reached out and squeezed Emi's hand for a moment before vacating the bathroom, leaving Emi alone to stare at herself some more, and wonder whether or not Maou had been right. She felt the hand that Maou had briefly grasped twitch, and she looked away from her reflection, the cheeks of which had become the color of strawberries as she began to undress and prepare for a nice hot soak in the tub.

 **If you like tons of dialogue, vomiting, and pointless drama, this is the chapter for you. Oh, yeah, Ashiya and Rika bang in this chapter.**

 **In all honesty, I was delaying posting this chapter because I wasn't sure that I liked the pacing of Rika and Ashiya's relationship. I felt, throughout this entire chapter, that by making them a couple, I just lost something in my story. I felt as though I crossed a line that had nothing to do with story ratings, and had more to do with proper story development. I suppose you guys will be the judge of that, however.**

 **I posted this chapter to let you guys know that I'm not dead, I am writing, and I have more to post. Like I said, I was just holding off on this chapter because it felt... wrong. Or maybe it's because I may or may not have screwed up the timelines on this, and I forgot to fix. I completely re-read the fic and I found a few small errors and details that need rehashing, but I'm just gonna keep cranking this out until its done, and then I'll go back through it more carefully.**

 **But you guys don't want to hear about how disappointed with this chapter I am...**

 **So have some music...**

 **Tribulation-Matt Maeson**

 **Weather in Heaven-Blackbear**

 **In My Head-Peter Manos**

 **Worst-QuinnXCII**

 **Demons-Jacob Lee**


	25. The Devil and the Hero: Guests

The next morning, Emi woke early, right alongside Maou, who had one more long day of work before his half day. It was rough for him to rise early and work so late, but his bank account had never been happier, thanks to Kisaki's generosity, and the helping hand he'd been given by his co-workers.

"You're up early for someone who doesn't have to go to work," Maou said, pouring coffee for both himself and Emi.

"Couldn't sleep," Emi said shortly, "I'm gonna go back to bed after I check the mail and whatnot."

"Expecting something?"

"Bills," Emi muttered darkly, taking a sip of her coffee and letting its heat flow through her.

Maou took a large drink of his own coffee, keeping a sharp eye upon Emi, whose demeanor had him worried. Was she still upset about Ashiya and Rika?

"Anyway, I'm gonna make some breakfast, shower, and then I'm pretty much out the door for work," Maou sighed, looking at the clock as it counted down the minutes of free time he had left, "you want anything?"

"No, I'll probably just eat later."

"You sure? Considering you didn't enjoy your dinner for more than a few hours before it came back up, I thought you'd be starving," Maou said.

"No, I'll be fine… but do you think you could bring me back some MgRonalds for dinner tonight," Emi asked suddenly.

"Sure, what do you want?"

Maou, who'd been an employee of the fast food franchise for over two years at that point, had not only memorized the menu, but the prices of the meals. He could provide the exact pricing, along with any deals or promotions that might've been going on.

"Hang on, that seems a bit much," Emi said when Maou recounted her order back to her perfectly.

"Nope, that's the right price," Maou said, sure he hadn't made an error.

"But what about your discount? You know, the one you get for working there," Emi said, "can't you just use that and sort of…."

"You want me to use my employee discount, the one that I usually use for my own meals, so you can save a few yen?"

"Well, you don't have to sound so mean about it," Emi grumbled, as she played with her hair, "I mean, I don't know how it works, I've never worked in the fast food industry."

"Fine, fine, I'll use my discount… but you owe me one."

"Thank you," Emi said sweetly, smiling as if she'd guilt tripped Maou on purpose, which she very well might've.

Maou, true to his word, ate his breakfast, showered, and had prepared for work in a manner of minutes. Emi, to his surprise, was hard at work at the stove when Maou crossed through the kitchen to get to the front door.

"Changed your mind," Maou asked, sniffing the air and feeling as though we was already getting hungry again.

"I thought I'd make you some lunch… I figure eating MgRonalds all the time probably isn't the healthiest thing for you," Emi said, throwing her hair over her shoulder and she leaned upon one leg, stirring up a chicken based broth with rice, chicken, and a hearty helping of sliced radish and onion.

"Wow, that smells amazing," Maou commented, his nose leading him closer and closer to the stove, where he came up behind Emi and leaned over her to inhale the fumes of cooking food. Emi gripped the stove, red in the face as Maou pressed himself against her in a carefree manner, his eyes closed as he got as close as possible to the sizzling pan.

"Uh, Maou?"

"Hmm?"

He opened his eyes, and suddenly became very aware of the fact that he was pressed quite thoroughly against the Hero, who was still wearing only her pajama shirt and underwear. Maou, slow as ever on the uptake, looked between Emi, the stove, and his own body, stunned at the rather embarrassed and vulnerable look on Emi's face. Her lips were parted slightly, and she looked as though she was torn between telling Maou off, and enjoying his body pressed against hers.

"Emi," Maou said suddenly, his breath hot and minty from having brushed his teeth moments ago.

She felt a pang in her chest as her heart reacted to Maou's quiet voice, and she felt a shiver pass through her as she felt herself drawn towards him.

"Yeah?"

"Your shirt's on fire."

Emi looked down, noticing that Maou was right: flickering flames had indeed began to burn on her shirt, which had been hanging over the burner while Maou had squished Emi against the stove.

A moment of senseless panic overwhelmed Emi. She could fight a Devil, she could fight fallen angels and Demon Generals, and she could lead entire armies of men in a conquest against the race of demons… but when it came to being on fire, she reacted much the same as any other human would.

"SHIT!"

Maou, cool as a cucumber, snapped his fingers, and a cup flew from the cupboard at supersonic speeds. He caught it and held it beneath the faucet for a few moments while Emi danced it a circle, holding the shirt away from her and cussing loudly as she tried to put the fire out by shaking the fabric.

"Dammit Maou, help me!"

"On it!"

Without further ado, Maou waited for Emi to turn in his direction before casually tossing the water from the cup onto Emi's shirt.

"You just had to use the big cup, didn't you," Emi asked, lifting her sopping wet hair from her face and flipping it back over her head.

"Well-uh-I didn't-want you to catch on fire," Maou stammered, looking away from Emi, who wondered what his deal was.

"Now what's your…EEEK!"

Emi, who'd been about to ask Maou what his malfunction was, realized the issue when Maou pointed at her chest, his other hand covering his eyes.

Emi, like most women, slept without a bra, and Emi's pajama shirt, while large and comfortable, was also white. This meant that when Maou had thrown water on it, it had become see through, giving the Devil a clear view of Emi's body. After realizing Maou's mistake, Emi covered herself and ran away, slipping and sliding over the wet vinyl flooring in the kitchen before slamming the door to her room shut. Maou peaked through his fingers, realizing Emi had gone, and that the pan on the stove would surely char if left unattended.

"That's what happens when I try to be nice," Emi sighed to herself, walking purposefully across the kitchen before using her hips to push Maou out of the way and resume her stirring.

Maou, for the second time, found himself drawn toward the stove, but now he realized it was less about Emi's cooking ability and more about the woman herself. She still only wore a shirt, and the new one, while darker in color, also happened to be a bit shorter. Maou found himself staring for a moment before he looked away, wondering how the Hero could be so indecent in his company.

"Alright," Emi said finally, "it's done!"

She packaged it nicely in a tupperware container and threw it into a bag for Maou, along with utensils, a napkin, and a soda. She held it out for Maou to take, tilting her head when she noticed how his eyes were fixed upon her in a strange manner. He wasn't staring at her body, per se, he was looking at her as if she were an enigma, and he wanted to know more.

"Here," Emi said, shaking the bag a little and snapping Maou from his stupor.

"Oh, right… shit, I'm gonna be late for work!"

"You're welcome," Emi said loudly, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes as Maou bolted for the door.

Maou froze for a second with his hand on the doorknob before he headed back into the kitchen and wrapped Emi in a one armed hug.

"Thanks for the grub," Maou said quickly, "I'll see you after work."

Emi, whose mind had gone rather blank, just stood there and took the hug.

"Uh, yeah," she muttered, "stay safe, and have a good day. See you after work."

As fast as Maou had enfolded her in his arms, so too had he escaped from the apartment, leaving Emi alone once again as she sat at the table by herself. So many thoughts were swirling in her head, it was hard to think straight. Finally, she smiled, preparing another pot of coffee and readying herself for a long, lazy day by herself.

She went to her room and dug in the closet, her mind still churning and turning as she considered Maou, and his apparent lack of hostility for the Hero. It all lined up with his words, and the idea that he wanted peace between their races, but that didn't extend to hugs, and certainly not kisses.

"I wanna see you more often," Maou's voice echoed from within Emi's mind, "I want to see you whenever I can. I can't explain it, but something about you makes me feel like I'm a Demon King again."

Something told Emi that he wasn't telling the whole truth in that statement, either.

She sighed, frowning as she pulled a small chest from within the confines of her closet, setting it down upon the bed and holding a hand over it as her magic flowed through her arm and out of her fingertips.

"Open," she muttered in Centruvian.

The chest clicked open, and from within the chest, Emi pulled a book. It was old and leather-bound; one of her father's first attempts at bookbinding. It smelled incredibly old and musty, but Emi found that trace scents of home clung to the book as she opened it and turned through its pages.

First, she found pages wherein she and her father had practiced writing. Emi was young, and the skill was not nearly as widespread in Ente Isla as it was on Earth, but her father had taught her anyway. After a few pages, she came upon journal entries, and she skimmed through the book's contents until she arrived at the very last entry, dated almost a year ago, and written in poorly formed Japanese script.

 ** _Dear Journal,_**

 ** _I've been trapped on this planet for some time now, and I've taken the name Emi Yusa. My magic, sadly, isn't replenishing like it used to in Ente Isla, so I've taken to living here like a normal human. How this world existed here without the knowledge of Ente Isla's greatest scholars and magicians is beyond me, but I suppose it's bound to happen. Did the angels know about this world? Did the demons? I followed the Devil through the gate, but I haven't found him yet. There's an entire world, but I'm hoping he showed up somewhere close by so I can exact my revenge, and purge the humans of their greatest enemy._**

 ** _Not sure when I'll write again, work has been keeping me so busy… I thought leading an army was tough, but these customer service representatives have it worse!_**

 ** _That's all I have for the moment, so farewell._**

 ** _Emi Yusa_**

 ** _P.S. I need to work on my kanji._**

Emi smiled, thinking back on how hard acclimatizing had been, even with the use of her magic. She looked around for a writing utensil, but to her disappointment, she found only an angel feather pen, the one her mother had given to Emerada, whom had finally given it to her. Emi, took the quill, and she felt a strange power emanate from it. Emi looked at it with uncertainty before she shrugged and put the pen to the page. To her surprise, when she pulled the nib across the page, she found that it wrote in a luminous lilac script, but upon closer inspection, the nib was completely dry. It seemed that the magic it used to open gates was not the pens only notable function.

After a few moments of thought, Emi put the pen to paper once more, and without pause, she carved out her last two years of frustration, anxiety, and confusion, cramming it all into a few sentences and trying to make it sound as though she were still fine.

 ** _Dear Journal,_**

 ** _Been a while, hasn't it? Almost two full years, in fact, and I still haven't come any closer to my previous goal of destroying the Demon King. For all the time I've known him, he seems to genuinely regret all that he's done to the humans in the past, and he seeks to change his ways and make peace between demons and humans._**

 ** _Not that it would be so simple. The humans of Ente Isla are vindictive, and I'm still not entirely sure demons and humans can coexist._**

 ** _On another note, a lot of things have been happening recently. Sariel came here to recover the Holy Sword, but Maou and I drove him off. Lucifer, as it turns out, is still alive, and even more of a little bastard than before. Crestia Bell, a Bailiff of the Inquisition, came here to earth as well, but she joined us, and helped stop Sariel. Since then, we've had a sort of family here, for lack of a better word. We fight, we accuse, and we all go to work to pay our bills, but come the weekend, we're just as glad to see each other as we were the last time._**

 ** _Unfortunately, there hasn't been much time for simple, quiet weekends recently. Two fallen angels, a plethora of bad dreams, and even another Demon King have arisen. All were taken care of, and there were no human casualties, but the fact remains that we haven't been able to prevent everyone from getting hurt._**

 ** _Rika Suzuki, a good friend from work, has unfortunately gotten caught up in the affairs of our world. She knows of my identity, she knows of those abhorrent demons living by Suzuno, and she experienced trauma the likes of which I can't even fathom at the hands of a demon. By all rights, I should hate demons now more than ever. I should want to obliterate them, and send their severed heads to the Demon Army on a platter, but I picture Maou's face and it stops me._**

 ** _I remember, through a thick haze of alcohol poisoning, the pained look on Maou's face when he learned of Rika's ordeal. I saw the anger in his eyes as he scribbled an order of execution, and tossed it into a gate behind the banished Succubus. Then I saw how low the Demon King fell afterwards, drowning his guilt and his shame in overpriced sake, and greasy pizza. I think about how Rika's condition seemed to affect him and Ashiya more than it affected me, and I can't help but stay my blade. The anger I feel turns to guilt as I try to muster up some feelings for Rika, but in the end, I'm just so paralyzed by the thought of seeing her that I almost don't want to visit her tomorrow! I know that's stupid, but I haven't seen her since she visited me to invite me to the party, and I haven't really figured out how to broach the subject in regards to me being the Hero from another world._**

 ** _Will she hate me, or be afraid of me? I don't want her to be, and I don't want her to suffer from the memories of her enslavement to Asmodeus, but if that's her choice, then who am I to disrespect it?_**

 ** _Whatever happens, I want her to be happy. I want us all to be happy._**

 ** _I'll try to write more often,_**

 ** _Emi Yusa_**

The Hero looked over the page carefully before sighing and laying down the quill, and in the moment she released her grip upon it, it sparked and fluttered, and if it had suddenly been set alight. Before Emi's eyes, the quill, and the page of her journal she'd been writing on, both vanished into a portal, leaving Emi stunned, and somewhat infuriated as she thought about how carefully she'd written her Kanji in the beautiful, glowing ink.

Meanwhile, in Ente Isla, Emerada Etuva was resting in her study, munching on a pastry that was so drenched in sticky icing that she had trouble eating it before it dripped onto her very important paperwork. She groaned and angrily stuffed the rest of the confection into her mouth before licking her fingertips and trying to once more focus on the reports laid out before her. Recovery efforts were well underway, but the fact remained that war was not something so easily erased from the land, nor the minds of its denizens. There were miscellaneous bands of demons who'd been ravaging the continents ever since the Demon King had vanished, and while the bulk of Satan's armies had retreated to parts unknown as well, the roving demon bands in question were quiet formidable, and much harder to eradicate because of their smaller numbers, and their ability to withdraw much more quickly than an army.

Emerada sighed, turning her head as the door to her study opened, revealing Alberto, who'd been tasked with retrieving more books from the library. The sorceress could've done it herself, but she found that the librarian always glowered at her in an unkind manner. It wasn't Emerada's fault that she lost track of all the books she borrowed, and the ones that were returned were usually damaged in some way.

"Did Mistress Sofia give you any troubllllllle," Emerada asked tiredly in Ente Islan, taking a sip from a fine golden goblet filled with honeysuckle wine.

Mistress Sofia was the glowering old bat who controlled the Royal Archives of the Holy Saint Aire Empire, which resided upon the western continent of Ente Isla. Alberto shrugged, knowing that if he spoke the truth about his encounter with the rather spiteful old librarian, Emerada would probably storm down there and teach her a lesson.

"Only that she wishes you to bear in mind her warnings, and take greater care with her tomes," Alberto said, also speaking in Ente Islan, in a dialect native to the Holy Saint Aire Empire.

"Tch," Emerada scoffed, keeping her dislike of the Mistress Sofia to herself as she stood and walked over to Alberto, surveying the volumes he'd brought.

Alberto was a strong man from the northern continent, which was mostly snow and ice. As a result, he was hardy, and far stronger than most people, though his magic was a bit simpler than most others. Still, he made up for it with determination, inborn tactical analysis, and swordsmanship that rivaled the skills of the Hero herself.

"You doooolt," Emerada said suddenly, making Alberto jump as Emerada kicked him in the shin, "I tooold you to bring me 'Master Einroth's Compendium of Alchemical Fomulae: Volumes 1-16!' Volumes three, four, eight, twelve, and fifteen and all missiiiing!"

Far from her usual, lax self, Emerada seemed seriously irate as she stood on her tiptoes to scowl at Alberto, who, while easily twice the woman's size, still cowered away from her. Her eyes, which were usually half closed due to sleep deprivation, were now fully opened, and she looked borderline depraved as she stabbed a finger into his chest, reaching up as high as she could just to do so.

"You listen to me, Albertooo! And you listen goood!"

She looked as though she might cast a spell upon him for a moment, but then she hiccupped. She blushed and covered her mouth, and Alberto kept his face as straight as possible, thinking of the saddest things he could imagine so as to keep from laughing.

"As I was trying to-hic-say, you need to-hic-do exactly as I-hic-saaayy," Emerada said, her anger dissolving as she began to giggle slightly, the sound of her own voice driving her into a fit.

"Ahehehe," she chuckled, hiccupping once more as she clung to Alberto for support, who was still leaning back against the table as the small sorceress laughed. She beat a hand against his chest, laughing into his shirt as she hiccupped some more, finding it difficult to draw breath as she struggled to remain upright.

"Ahah….hahaha," Alberto laughed as well, trying not to insult the sorceress as he patted her back gently to ease her hiccups.

"Hmhmhmmm, silly Albertooo," Emerada said, burying her face in his abdomen as Alberto giggled slightly.

Emerada, who'd been working on draining several goblets of wine throughout the day, was quite saturated. Alberto could hardly blame her, as she had been appointed as one of the driving forces behind the eradication of the demons in Ente Isla, and the Emperor of the Holy Saint Aire Empire was not pleased by her progress.

When it came down to it, the Hero had vanished, leaving a battered world to contend with, and Emerada was pulled from her study of magic to usher in change with frightening regularity. It was no wonder she was so stressed.

"Mmmmmm," Emerada groaned, hugging onto Alberto as if her life depended upon him.

He was her pillar, her support, and she leaned upon him heavily as he became very still. His scent was intoxicating to the sorceress as she breathed deeply, and she was almost tempted to fall asleep, hanging from him like a sloth from a tree. Emerada looked up at Alberto and smiled at him, her cheeks touched with red as she hiccupped once more.

"Sorryyy for losing my temper with yoouuu," she said quietly.

"Er, it is no problem," Alberto said, noting how her arms were fastened about his waist with frightening strength. Alberto stood straight, and Emerada's bare feet left the floor, but still she looked at him, smiling like the cat that ate the canary, her breath as sickly sweet as the honeysuckle wine that pumped through her veins.

The white haired man stared down into the pale cyan eyes of the sorceress, which sparkled with an intensity Alberto had never seen in them before. The atmosphere in the room was so thick you'd need a Holy Sword to cut it, and it lingered for a moment before Emerada's eyes refocused, and she looked around worriedly.

Alberto thought she suddenly realized what a provocative position they were in, but then he felt something as well, as if powerful holy magic were materializing somewhere nearby, and with the sound of a hurricane, a gate appeared in the center of the room. It was tiny, not even large enough for Emerada to fit through, but from within it, fluttering along like a leaf upon the wind, was a piece of paper that glittered with mesmerizing lilac symbols, and an angel feather pen. Emerada probed at the paper mentally, and while she felt a strange power radiate from it, she found it was not offensive, or harmful in any way. Still, she approached it with caution, and looked down upon it with familiarity as she recalled learning about the language through an Idea Link with the Hero, the last time she'd visited the other world.

"A letter," Alberto asked, reading the script as best he could from over Emerada's shoulder.

"A journal entry," Emerada surmised, squinting at the kanji as she tried to decipher it more clearly.

After a few moments of reading, Emerada's eyes widened, and she turned to look at Alberto sadly.

"It seems the Hero has had some troubling adversaries in the other world," Emerada said, passing the paper to Alberto so that he could read it, "we should pay her a visit and make sure she is alright."

"But what of the reports," Alberto asked, looking at Emerada's desk, which was still piled high with parchment, "and what of the books?"

"Both can wait, we won't be long," Emerada said, sitting down in her armchair by the fireplace and pulling her boots on, all the way up her slender legs until they finally hit her thighs.

Alberto, ever the gentleman, looked away as Emerada lifted her other leg, paying no mind to the fact that her rather revealing pantaloons were riding ever higher.

Finally she fastened on her cloak, which hung loosely about her shoulders, and donned her satin cap, adorned as it was by the colors of her nation. Both her cap and her cloak were slightly askew, but Alberto quickly fixed these discrepancies, taking a knee before the sorceress as he worked the wrinkles from her collar and straightened her cap and cloak.

"You're so good to me, Albertooo," Emerada said, smiling at the man, and watching for his reaction. He smiled as well, his eyes flickering to meet hers for a second before he frowned once more and finally stood, looking unsure as Emerada hiccupped again.

"Perhaps I should open the gate," Alberto asked as Emerada raised her hands, narrowing her eyes as she sought to remember the spell.

"Nonsense," Emerada muttered, "I'm the Court Magician! If I couldn't open a gate to another world while a little-hic- tipsyyy-"

The gate sprang to life with the sound of reality tearing asunder, and Emerada placed her fists upon her hips in triumph.

"-what sort of Court Magician would I be?"

Alberto looked at the sorceress once more, watching as she cracked her fingers, looking as if she'd only lit a candle or pushed in the chair to her desk. Not for the first time, he questioned how she had become so powerful. Before he could ponder it for too long, however, she had grabbed his hand and lead him forward, walking right into the gate as their feet left the ground. She turned to smile at him, and Alberto felt his heart skip a beat before he remembered something.

"I forgot to grab a sick bag," he cried as the gate slammed shut behind them.

"I brought one for yoouuu," Emerada said, happily.

And with that, the both of them vanished from the face of Ente Isla.

Emi heard a knock upon her door. She sat up from the couch, feeling rather torn as she stared at the sun, which looked as though it would be setting soon. Whoever was visiting was doing so during daylight hours, but the fact remained that it appeared to be almost dinner time, which was generally considered rude. She thought about rolling back over and going back to sleep, but this time the knock was louder. It was clear that whoever was at the door wouldn't be going away any time soon.

She crept to the front of her condo as quietly as she could, hearing a squabble of some kind or another on the other side of the door.

"Lift me uuuup-hic," said a voice, speaking a language that was most definitely not Japanese.

Emi peered through the peep hole, only to have her view obscured by a single, large blue-green eye.

"Do you see anything," asked a deeper male voice.

"Noooo-hic," answered the drawling female one.

The eye pulled away from the peep hole, and Emi could suddenly see Emerada, who had fallen back into Alberto's arms, as he had lifted her from the floor so she could look into the hole.

"Perhaps she's at work," Alberto reasoned.

He stood there, holding Emerada as though she weighed nothing, and she leaned against him, smiling so peacefully that Emi, for the briefest of moments, thought they might never disconnect. She flung upon the door, catching them by surprise, and the both of them suddenly became red faced. Emerada lost her balance, and Alberto failed to catch her, dropping the sorceress to the floor, where she laid groaning.

"Emilia," Alberto said, looking this way and that as he refused to meet the Hero's eyes.

"Alberto," Emi said, raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms as she smirked at the tall, silver haired warrior.

"Could you-hic-help me uuuup," Emerada said quietly, still face down on the floor.

Emi looked at Alberto, and he gingerly helped the small sorceress to her feet, doing his best to keep any contact between them superficial as he brushed her off and straightened her cloak and cap.

"So," Emi said, very aware of the smaller woman's hiccups, and the smell of alcohol wafting from her.

"So," Emerada said, swaying upon the spot and rubbing her nose, which had struck the carpet rather hard.

Emi invited in her old comrades and set them upon the loveseat, grinning smugly as they both made very sure they weren't touching in any way. It was rather difficult for Alberto, as he was so large and muscular, but he managed to squish himself against the arm of the loveseat and look rather nonchalant about it.

"Here you go," Emi said, returning from the kitchen with steaming mugs of tea, "it's not the best, or the sweetest, but it should help you avoid a hangover."

Emerada pouted at Emi.

"How could you-hic- teeell I was druuuunk?"

"I can smell the alcohol… honey mead," Emi asked.

"Honeysuckle wine," Emerada answered, crossing her legs and breathing in the scent of tea.

"Could I use your bathroom," Alberto asked.

"Down the hall, can miss it," Emi said, her eyes lit up with a mischievous twinkle that made him uncomfortable as he made his escape.

Emerada kicked her foot in a bored manner, looking around as she waited for Emi to speak.

"So, you and Alberto, huh?"

"Wha-hic-no-hic-I mean we're strictlyyyy-hic-work partnerrrrs," Emerada said, her face red as she whispered to the Hero.

Emi felt a sense of sadness clench in her stomach. Even before they'd fought the Demon King, Emerada and Emi had been very good friends, and Emi knew that the sorceress was lonely. She spent so much time with her research and her spells, however, that going out and searching for companionship was hardly an option. When they'd met Alberto, Emi had watched Emerada's eyes trace every muscle and vein on his body, and the small woman's knees had very nearly knocked together. Emi had been sure that after all was said and done, Emerada and Alberto might be able to find something in each other… it seemed she was mistaken.

Emerada rubbed her legs together, looking embarrassed about something as she turned her head to look at the empty hallway Alberto had gone down. She looked at Emi again and whispered so quietly that Emi almost missed her words.

"I really like him, Emi," Emerada said.

"I'm back," Alberto announced, making Emerada jump so hard she accidentally slopped scalding hot tea on her legs.

"Hot, hot, hot, hoooot," Emerada yelped, kicking off her boots as fast as possible and racing into the guest room, Emi in hot pursuit with an icepack she'd retrieved from the freezer.

Alberto shook his head, sitting down on the loveseat before he noticed Emerada's long white boots were soaked with tea, and unless he acted soon, they would surely stain.

In the guest room, with Emi and Emerada, Emi was digging through the closet, which was filled with the Devil's clothes as the sorceress covered herself with a blanket, keeping the ice pack firmly pressed against her skin, which was now red and sore.

"I don't think Maou will mind if you borrows a pair of his shorts," Emi said, picking up a pair that was a bit to short for him, anyway.

"Those are the Devil's clothes," Emereda asked, "why are they in yoouuur closet."

"He's been staying here," Emi said, deciding to simply tell the truth, "his house was… well, it wasn't burnt down, but it's been cordoned off by the Fire Commissioner."

"That wasn't in your journal entry."

"My what," Emi asked sharply, tossing the shorts to her friend.

From within the folds of her cloak, Emerada pulled a piece of paper. It was parchment paper, most commonly found in Ente Isla, and written upon it, in glittering lilac kanji, was Emi's journal entry from a few hours ago.

"That explains the visit," Emi said, "and here I was hoping you wanted me to help you get with Alberto."

"Wha-why would you think something… like thaaaat," Emerada asked, not looking Emi in the eye as her face flushed even more, clashing violently with her blue-green hair.

"I've seen the way you look at him," Emi sighed, taking a seat on the bed and looking beneath the ice pack to determine the severity of her friend's burn, "you do like the guy, don't you?"

"Well, he is extremely thoughtful, and helpful, and caring," Emerada reasoned, "and he's so strooong, and so brave… and the way he smells is just sooo niiiice."

"Oh yeah," Emi said, poking Emerada in the ribcage, "you love the guy, don't you? Admit it!"

"Well, he's certainly not bad looking…"

"Can you stop being so damn logical and calculating for once? Alberto's a human, not some experiment you can pick apart," Emi laughed, causing Emerada to rub the back of her head and smile.

"I suppose you're right. You always were better at dealing with people than I was," the sorceress admitted.

Emi's face fell for a moment, and once again she thought of Maou, and how he'd been so… strange? Was that the right word? She was sure there was a better one for his behavior, but at the moment, she couldn't think of it. She snapped out of her stupor only to notice Emerada looking at her concernedly, her eyes narrowed, though not because of her sleepiness.

"You ok, Em," Emerada asked.

"Fine," Emi replied, "just stretched a little thin, I guess."

"I'll second that," Emerada sighed, leaning her head against Emi's shoulder, much like they used to do when they'd sat around the camp fire, during their great campaign to rid the world of the Demon King.

Once it was determined that Emerada's legs were not in need of serious medical attention, she managed to slip into the shorts that were too small for Maou. She looked odd, in her Saint Aire Empire Court Magician's uniform, though instead of her short pantaloons, she wore modern day shorts.

"These feel sooo constrictiiiing," Emerada sighed, walking funny to alleviate the pain in her legs.

"Do you want me to heal your burns," Emi asked, escorting her friend out into the strangely empty living room.

"Hold on, where are my boots," Emerada asked.

From within the kitchen, the sound of running water could be heard. With Emerada's arm still slung over her shoulder, Emi hobbled them both over to the doorway, and they found Alberto at the sink, carefully scrubbing the stain out of Emerada's fine thigh-high boots with a toothbrush that Emi knew belonged to the Devil.

"You see," Emerada whispered, "he's just so… thoughtful."

Alberto was alerted to the presence of the women by their fits of stifled giggling. The tall, dark skinned man blushed before resuming his steady scrubbing. After a few minutes, the stains were gone, though the thick soles of the boots were still coated with dust and bits of mud, so he scrubbed them completely clean, with Emi and Emerada still watching him.

"I hope it's ok that I used this toothbrush to clean Emerada's boots," Alberto said.

"It was the Devil's toothbrush," Emi said gleefully, "he'll just have to buy a new one!"

Emi and Emerada made their way back to the loveseat where they sat together for a moment before Emerada leaned in close, whispering once more.

"How do I ask someone like that if they'd like to be more than friends? I mean, what if he said yes just because I'm technically his superior," Emerada asked.

"Listen, you just have to grit your teeth and make yourself as clear as possible," Emi replied quietly, listening carefully for the sound of Alberto's return.

"But… what will the people of the court saaay," the sorceress fretted, her hands on her cheeks, "what will they thiiink?"

"I didn't want to be the one to have to tell you this, Eme," Emi said, "but people were already talking when we set out to fight the Devil. They made it sound like you were his mistress or something…"

"R-really? People were saying thaaat?"

"W-well, I mean, not quite so seriously," Emi said reassuringly, "but I know for a fact people thought you two had a thing. I was one of them, to be honest."

"You thought me and Alberto were-"

"Together," Emi said, "yeah. Of course, I figured it was just hearsay… and I know how lonely you get, stuck up in your tower all day. I just wanted you to be happy."

"Well theeen…"

The thought seemed to flatten Emerada like a freight train. Her main reason for stalling, the real reason she hadn't asked Alberto how he felt, was suddenly removed. Her only obstacle now was herself. The sorceress looked down at her legs, which were still a little sore from the scalding hot tea she'd spilt, but finally she stood from the loveseat, without Emi's assistance, and she walked towards the kitchen. Emi had the feeling that Emerada had used her magic to burn away some of the alcohol that was muddling her thoughts, because there was a fierce determination in the short woman's eyes.

Emerada walked into the kitchen in pained, yet purposeful strides, leaving Emi to sit in the living room, wondering what was going on.

A part of Emi wanted to hide just around the corner and listen in, because Emerada and Alberto were both talking very quietly. Instead, she waited impatiently for Emerada to return, a smile on her face and blush on her cheeks as she gave Emi the thumbs up.

No such luck.

Emi made for the kitchen, walking normally, so anyone within might hear her coming, and finally she came upon the scene and felt her heart skip a beat. Standing in the middle of the kitchen, their arms wrapped around each other as they kissed passionately, was Emerada and Alberto. They completely ignored Emi, who watched them for a moment before clearing her throat loudly and causing them to break apart.

Alberto looked fearful, and he made to pull away from Emerada, as if they'd been caught doing something wrong. Emerada, however, had her arms still hooked around Alberto's neck, and pulled him closer to her before smiling at Emi.

"I'm so happy for you guys," Emi said finally, rushing forward and hugging the both of them.

Emi had lead an army with both of these people, and when you're facing certain death, you tend to become attached to your comrades. After the Demon King fled to another world, and victory for the humans was assured, Emi could only hope for one thing, beyond the survival of her friends, and that was for them to be happy.

"I thought you'd be furious," Alberto said, speaking to Emi, "I knew how much you cared for Emerada… I thought you might cut off my head!"

"Nonsense," Emi said, flicking away a tear that fell from her eye, "you make her happy! That said…"

Better Half appeared in Emi's hand, and she twirled the Holy Sword menacingly, still smiling at Alberto.

"…hurt her and I swear you'll regret it."

"Yes ma'am," Alberto said, laughing nervously as Emerada rolled her eyes at Emi, who invited her companions to join her in the living room once again.

This time, there was much more room on the loveseat, for Emerada simply sat in Alberto's lap, looking perfectly at home perched upon his knees. Alberto didn't meet Emi's eyes, but the Hero could sense his embarrassment.

"So, what brings you guys here," Emi asked the new couple, "I assume there's something more than just my journal entry to thank for your sudden, unexpected appearance."

"Well, in all honesty, Emilia, the fact is I was pretty buzzed when I read your diary entry," Emerada admitted with a grin, "I thought there was something I could help you with!"

"Journal," Emi said quickly, blushing slightly.

"Come again?"

"It's a journal, not a diary. I'm not a little girl," Emi said quietly, looking embarrassed.

"You're still younger than I am," Emerada teased, "but in truth, there was no real reason for our visit… though I suppose I definitely needed the time away from my tower. I don't think I left my study in weeks."

"Thirty seven days," Alberto said, "that's how long you were in there."

"Wha-really? Why didn't you tell me?"

"You were busy working," Alberto shrugged, "if you were messing around, I might've felt the need to bother you, but you were doing your job quite well, so I remained silent."

"See what I mean, Emi," Emerada asked, leaning back against Alberto's chest and purring like a kitten, "he's just sooo thoughtful."

"Geez, do you two need a room," Emi wondered, rolling her eyes, "I mean, I get that you only just started the relationship, but you don't have to play grab ass in my living room, you know?"

"Hehe, sooorry, Emiiii," Emerada giggled.

"Emilia," Alberto said suddenly, "was I correct in hearing you earlier? Did you say that the Devil was living with you?"

"Yeah," Emi sighed, propping her chin on her knees, readying herself for the berating of a lifetime.

"And you two have an alliance of sorts," Alberto asked.

"Yeah," Emi said again, wondering about Alberto's point.

"Hmm."

The northern warrior was silent after that, thinking hard as an uneasy silence filled the living room. Emi flipped on the television, and Emerada and Alberto both jumped at the sound of a newscaster.

"Ignora almighty," Emerada proclaimed, falling from Alberto's knees and onto the floor as she jumped in panic.

"Why does everyone react like that when they first see a TV," Emi asked herself as Emerada picked herself up off of the floor.

The thought made her smile, and Emi didn't realize it at the time, but she was grateful for the company of her old friends. There were times, later in a long shift at work, where she actually wished to go back to Ente Isla, and simply forget about Japan, the Docodemo Customer Service Center, and her idiot boss, so seeing Emerada and Alberto was a breath of fresh air.

Hours passed rather quickly, as they often do whenever one tries to catch up with old friends, and before they could do much more than speak of the intricacies of the world, Earth, Emi found that night had fallen, and Maou would be home any minute. She heard the door open and Emerada and Alberto fell silent, staring quite intently at the hallway, keenly aware of who was down there, due to the demonic magic he radiated.

Maou, however, sensed them, as well. It wasn't hard to notice the visitors, even through the fog of Emi's celestial force. They were like stars next to the sun: smaller, certainly, but still visible.

"Hey, Emi," Maou called, his shoulders tensed as he prepared for an ambush, "I'm back."

"We're back here," Emi said, "Emerada and Alberto decided to visit."

They both shot wide eyed looks at Emi, who was confused by her friends' rather rude behavior. Maou made his way into the living room, trying his best to look nonchalant as his eyes swept over Emerada and Alberto uncaringly.

"Hey, guys," Maou said, "long time no see."

Maou, ever the flatterer, couldn't quite remember the names of Emi's friends, so instead of engaging them one on one, he made to go by them and hit the bathroom, but Emi held out a leg to block his path.

"Where's my food," Emi asked, "I paid for a meal, I want a meal."

"Yeah, yeah," Maou said holding up a hand and focusing his demonic power into his palm. With a burst of red light, a fresh, warm BigMg Combo bag hovered over the Devil's hand. He grabbed it and set it in Emi's lap before moving on, rubbing the back of his head, and cursing how greasy the french fryer made his hair.

"You… paid the Devil… to bring you food… at a quarter after the midnight hour?"

"We work off shifts," Emi explained, "so we stay up later than most people, we wake up later, we eat dinner later… usually I cook, but tonight I wanted something that I didn't have to clean up."

"Why doesn't the Devil cook or clean," Emereda asked, "I thought that Japan was more progressive than Ente Isla?"

"Well, It's about the same in that regard, equality is required, especially by businesses, but as to why Maou doesn't cook-"

A toilet flushed, and Maou came back through the living room, headed to the kitchen.

"I don't cook because I spend most of my time at work," Maou interjected, "where I cook and clean all damned day. You really think I want to come home after work and cook some more? Hell no! I wanna come home and take a load off!"

"You are rather impolite, taking advantage of Emi's hospitality in such a manner," Alberto noted, frowning at the Demon King.

"And you expect a Demon King to be polite," Maou scoffed from the kitchen, digging through the fridge for leftovers, "think again, pal."

Maou took off his shirt and sat on the couch, next to Emi, digging into a cold bowl of the same rice and broth Emi had made earlier. Emerada and Alberto tensed at the sight of the Demon King, but when they noticed how enraptured he was in eating and watching the news, they slowly began to relax.

"Anything important come on," Maou asked through a mouthful of food, "these two didn't cause a ruckus when they came here, did they? I swear if I have to run around and erase memories all night I am gonna flip shit."

"Hey," Emi said, giving Maou a light punch on the arm," talk nice about my friends! They came to visit me, after all."

"Sorry," Maou sighed, "it's just been a long day."

Emerada and Alberto looked closely at the Demon King. His eyes were glazed over with lack of sleep, and he did indeed look like he'd been working all day. There were shadows under his eyes, and he was still covered in a sheen of sweat from riding his bike all the way back to Eifuku from the Hatagaya Station MgRonalds, which was quite the trip.

For a moment, they could hardly believe that this was the Devil, the same one who'd very nearly conquered Ente Isla, but then they saw his dull red eyes as he gazed blankly at the TV, and all they could think about was that night, years ago, in the throne room of the Devil's Castle, when the Devil's gleaming red eyes had been the brightest light in the room.

"Satan Jacob," Emerada asked suddenly.

It took Maou a moment to respond, as his mouth was so full he couldn't speak right away.

"Hmm?"

"Why have you not returned to conquer Ente Isla," the sorceress asked.

The room became unnaturally still, and Maou felt as though he wanted to sigh and clap a hand to his forehead, but he didn't. Instead, he turned his tired gaze to Emerada, who visibly jumped when Maou's red eyes met her own.

"Because I don't want to conquer Ente Isla," Maou said tiredly.

"What's that supposed to mean," Emerada asked.

"Exactly what I said," Maou replied, looking down into his empty bowl with a sad frown. Emi's cooking was always so good, it never seemed to last as long as he would've liked.

The statement hung in the air as Maou stood, washed his bowl out in the kitchen sink, and then made his way back to the bathroom to shower, and wash away the day's labors.

"Did you break his spirit or something," Emerada hissed to Emi.

"Hardly," Emi said quietly, "he just… he has a lot on his mind. We all do, what with all that's happened."

Emerada could hardly believe it. The Terror of Ente Isla, the Devil himself, was preoccupied with mundane human affairs in a world with limited magical resources? He was affected by the same plight as the Hero, and her closest allies? The Devil, lo and behold, had feelings? The thought made Emerada want tolaugh, but it made her think of the countless other demons she'd been hunting down. Most of the roving warbands were weaker demons with no magic whatsoever, simply trying to survive the only way they knew how. From the report she'd received, they had simply been preying upon simple folk, but when her forces managed to dispatch a warband, it was more along the lines of wholesale slaughter, than the vicious battle one would imagine.

'Is it possible that there are more to demons than I thought,' Emerada wondered, making a mental note to grab every book on demonology that Mistress Sofia had on her bookshelves.

"Well, we don't want to intrude upon your hospitality any longer," Emerada said, standing to leave as she heard the shower turn off. Maou left the bathroom, wrapped in nothing but a towel, causing everyone to look in the opposite direction. It was the one thing Maou loved about humans, when he got naked, they all looked the other way, as if nothing was wrong.

"If you like, you could stay the night," Emi said, "I really don't mind. You two can have the guest room."

Maou, who had apparently slipped into his pajamas in record time, walked through the living room to get to the kitchen once more, his water glass in his hand. He stopped for a moment, staring down at the sorceress quite intently with glowing red eyes.

Emerada felt herself frozen on the spot as the Devil's eyes bored into her own. Her knees turned to jelly and her breathing quickened, as did her heartbeat. Even though Alberto was standing right behind her, and he himself stood taller than the Demon King, the power he radiated was still terrifyingly familiar.

"Are those my shorts," Maou asked, turning to frown at Emi.

"Not anymore," Emi said simply, "they were way to small for you, anyway."

"But I liked those shorts," Maou complained, turning to whine at the Hero, "what happened to her pants?"

"They're pantaloons," Emerada stated, "and they got tea spilled on them, that's why Emi gave me these shorts."

Maou sighed before grumbling to himself, pushing past Alberto and Emerada with undisguised grumpiness.

"I really liked those shorts… comfy…don't have much for clothes…"

He came back from the kitchen with a full water glass, still looking immensely downtrodden. With a sad glance at the shorts that had been given away without his permission, the Devil simply slouched back toward the hallway leading to the bedrooms.

"I'm going to bed," Maou said, "night everyone… Emi, don't stay up too late."

"You're not the boss of me," Emi countered.

"Did he just… walk into your bedroom, Emi," Alberto whispered.

"Huh? Oh, uh yeah, I guess he did. He must've vacated the guest room for you guys," Emi lied, "now you have to stay the night! But no funny business!"

"Well, first things first," Emerada said, pulling Alberto closer to her, "what exactly do you define as funny business? I need to know where the line is if I'm not going to cross it… too much."

"You have a dirtier mind than Rika," Emi noted, shaking her head as Alberto was dragged away to Emi's spare bedroom by Emerada, looking at the Hero apologetically as he went.

After making sure her guests were comfortable, Emi returned to her room, only to find Maou lying awake as he stared at the ceiling. He had stuffed copious amounts of tissue into his ears, but he still looked rather disgruntled about something.

"Now what's wrong," Emi asked, wondering if this was Maou's response to Emi giving away his shorts.

"What," Maou asked, pulling a large clump of tissue from his ear, "I can't hear you, Emi."

"I was asking why you stuffed your ears with tissue," Emi asked, getting into bed next to Maou.

"Just listen carefully," Maou said, replugging his ears and then rolling back over, "you'll hear it, too."

Emi waited, listening carefully as her ears adjusted to the silence. A few moments passed, and then…

"Ahehehe."

From the guest room, which was adjacent to Emi's bedroom, came the sound of giggling. It was quiet, and quickly stifled, but the sound was unmistakable as Emi's face turned red. She looked at Maou, but the Devil was lying on his side, facing away from the Hero.

Emi knew then that she was in for a long, uncomfortable night, wherein she and the Devil would be carefully avoiding eye contact and doing their best to remain as far apart as possible on the bed. The same couldn't be said for Emerada and her new consort, however.

 **Aaaaaand another chapter is out. Thanks to those of you who review the previous chapter, I'm glad so many of you liked Rika and Ashiya together. I wanted to write for a second, and reiterate what I put in my notes on the last chapter, because I feel as though it may have been misconstrued. I wanted Ashiya and Rika together. That was going to happen, that ship has sailed, my concern was primarily the pacing of their relationship... but, it's too late to change it now.**

 **Something else I forgot to mention last time, I finally have a general idea of how the story is going to end... All that's left is filling in the blanks. Not sure about you guys, but I like writing this story, so when I try to gauge when it'll be ending I end up confused. Could be five chapters, could be fifty. You never know.**

 **When I first thought about bringing in Emerada and Alberto, I figured it would be a good time for them to help Emi with whatever great turmoil she was dealing with. I didn't realize I should ship them together until I was typing up the scene and all of the sudden Emerada was hanging from Alberto like he was a jungle gym, giving him the dirty eyes... happy little accidents. Everybody's getting some, aside from Maou and Emi, and Suzuno and Urushihara. Woohoo! The downward spiral into madness continues! Rest assured, I have some action packed chapters coming up, and I think they'll really pluck at your heartstrings. Either that or they'll leave you a sad, drunken mess as you try to recover from side character deaths... oops, have I said too much? Don't worry, it's no one overly important...**

 **The only song I have for you guys to listen to would be...**

 **Devil May Cry-Mako (the Konstantin remix is pretty good as well, I'd recommend both the original and the remix)**

 **Later, Devils.**


	26. The Devil and the Hero: Date Do-Over

"What time is it," Maou asked weakly, severely traumatized as he lay in bed and stare at the ceiling.

Emi, looking just as worn out and terrorized, looked over at the alarm clock on her nightstand.

"It's seven in the morning," she groaned. "They've been at it for hours!"

"You get any sleep," Maou asked.

"Nope. You?"

"Not a wink."

The both of them returned to their mutual, silent contemplation of the stark white ceiling, doing their best to simply ignore the sound coming from the other room. The sun rose high enough in the sky to break through Emi's curtains, and soon the sound of footsteps could be heard as Emerada and Alberto crept into the bathroom.

"Are they… in the shower?"

"I don't know," Emi said, covering her face with a pillow as she tried to get some rest.

"Aw, crap," Maou said, kicking off his blankets and hurrying to the door, "I gotta get ready for work. Have fun with those noisy bastards you call friends… can you kick them out before I come back from work? Or are they coming with us to see Rika?"

"I don't know," Emi's muffled voice said from beneath the pillow.

"Fantastic," Maou grumbled, combing his fingers through his hair as he made for the guest room, changing as quickly as possible without touching any of the bedsheets, which were thrown all over. Once dressed, he left without breakfast or coffee, as he was already running quite late for his shift.

Four hours later, Maou was staggering out of MgRonalds, tired and hungry from not having eaten yet that day, and his lack of sleep the night before. He frowned and cracked his back before hopping onto his bike and pedaling for Eifuku, but instead of his usual pace, he pedaled slowly, not wanting to overexert himself.

It had been an incredibly long week for Maou, to say the least. The Hero was a mess, his Castle was still closed off, and to top it all off, his rent would soon be due. Maou heaved a sigh, coming to a stop at a crosswalk, the street around him barren of both people and cars as he waited for the light to turn green. A set of footsteps behind Maou alerted him to someone else's presence, and when he turned around he did a double take. Behind Maou was the man who'd tried to mug him a couple weeks ago.

"Oh, hey there," Maou said, "you're looking better."

It took a moment before the man recognized Maou.

"Wha-oh, it's you! Hey, I wanted to say… well, thank you again for what you did to help me! I managed to get a job at the grocery store not to far away. It's not the best, but it pays ok, and I actually just got my first paycheck today," the man said.

"Glad to hear that," Maou replied, smiling tiredly at the man.

"You-uh-you're looking a little tired yourself man… you alright?"

Maou smiled. He wasn't alright, now that he thought about it. Sure, he had a roof over his head, and his co-workers had helped him out, but the Hero, and the continuous stream of supernatural threats from Ente Isla kept him awake at night. Literally, in the case of Alberto and Emerada.

"Tired," Maou laughed to himself, "yeah, that's the right word for it."

The crosswalk light turned green, and signaled for foot traffic to go.

"Well, it was nice catching up with you," the man said, waving at Maou as he kicked the pedals to his bike and took off slowly.

The Devil arrived back at the Hero's condominium to find Alberto, Emerada and Emi all sitting on the couch. All three were washed, dried, and dressed, and Emi was looking rather impatient.

"What took you so long," Emi asked, "Rika's been texting us for an hour. Chiho, Suzuno, and Urushihara are already at the suite."

"Oh, I get it, I leave and then everybody bathes together," Maou asked, ignoring Emi's attitude, "what if I'd wanted a little fun, huh?"

"Demon Lord, you sure have a sick sense of humor," Emerada scowled.

"It keeps me going," Maou sighed, stifling a grin as he hopped into the shower and readied himself for Rika's get-together.

The trip from Emi's apartment to the mental care facility took a little over an hour, forty-five minutes of which were spent sitting in silence on the train, which Emerada and Alberto did not enjoy in the slightest. With every rattle and boom, they jumped and held each other even tighter, prompting Maou and Emi to snicker at the couple.

They walked right in the front door and found Ashiya waiting for them all, looking rather tired himself as he offered to take everyone's coats. Maou gave Ashiya his sweatshirt, Emi handed over a white denim jacket, and Emerada gave the Demon General her cape, along with a frown. The only thing Ashiya got from Alberto was a glare, as the warrior was only wearing his usual sleeveless shirt. The cold had never been a bother to the warrior from the north.

"Please, follow me to Rika's suite," Ashiya said, leading everyone to the elevator and ushering them inside. They alighted upon the fourth floor and took a few turns down several halls that looked practically identical before they arrived at room six hundred sixty-six.

"The number of the Devil," Emi remarked, casting a glance at Maou, who rolled his eyes.

"The number of the devil is seven hundred seventy-seven," Maou retorted, "seven is, after all, the most powerfully magical number."

"That's actually true," Emerada confirmed, eyeing Maou with something akin to scientific inquiry.

Ashiya rapped upon the door and announced who was there.

"C'mon in, guys," Rika said, throwing open the door, "there's no need to be so formal, Ashiya."

"Of course," the blonde demon said, stepping inside, but holding open the door for the guests, all the same.

The room looked much the same as it had when Maou as first seen it, but now there were signs of it having been lived in, and all of the medical equipment was gone. The monitors were off, and pushed back against the walls, and the IV drips had been wheeled away. It now looked like a fine hotel suite.

"Hey guys," Chiho said, looking up from her tablet, which she was showing to Lucifer and Suzuno, "good to see you made it here ok!"

"Sorry we're late," Emi said, "Maou was working."

"Yeah, sorry for being a responsible, law abiding adult, with a job that I'm _not_ suspended from," Maou rebutted, jabbing Emi in the ribs with his elbow.

"Guys, play nice," Rika said, a strange light in her eyes as she looked between Maou and Emi.

"Easy for you to say, Emi's been restless from her four day weekend, and she won't stop annoying me," Maou complained.

"You're lamentations do you little credit, my lord."

"And you! I still can't believe you're hanging out with Rika! The girl looks fine," Maou said loudly, pointing at Rika accusingly.

"She does indeed, thanks to the magic I've been using to help her heal," Ashiya said, smiling slightly, "speaking of which, I've been meaning to speak with the Hero and Suzuno… I may need to collect some more magic... for healing purposes."

"How do you plan on collecting it," Suzuno asked, looking up from Chiho's tablet.

"As naturally as possible. You do realize we are in a mental institution, do you not? Using the emotional power that lies within these walls would be no trouble at all for a demon of my skill… I only waited so as to make sure you two knew and understood my intentions," Ashiya summated, looking between the inquisitor and the Hero.

"I don't mind," Emi said.

"If the Hero is ok with it, then so am I," Suzuno supplied.

"Excellent. I shall wait until tomorrow, however, to absorb any power. People will be visiting their loved ones, and their teary reunions will make a wonderful feast."

"Would you quit all that demon talk? I told you to work on that, didn't I," Rika asked, putting her hands on her hips and looking at Ashiya in an unhappy way.

"Yes, I mean-of course, Rika. I'm terribly sorry," Ashiya said, bowing slightly to Rika, who smiled at the Demon General.

Emi sat and looked at them, internally wondering if Maou had been telling the truth. She'd had some time to think, and what Rika had said over the phone about night time running may very well have been the truth… but what if it wasn't? What if Maou had been right, and the two of them had been sleeping together? Looking at the way they interacted, with sly smiles, as if they knew something no one else did, made Emi feel slightly sick. But there was something else as well, something that made Emi squirm uncomfortably.

It was the way Rika looked at Ashiya. She may have downplayed his importance, but Emi could clearly see the love in Rika's eyes whenever she looked at the Demon General. Even stranger, Ashiya's normally reserved and distant expression seemed to flicker whenever he looked at Rika. His eyes would light up, literally, with gold, and it would appear as though he'd just seen the sun for the first time.

"You ok," Maou asked quietly, stepping up next to Emi as everyone else settled in.

"Fine," Emi muttered.

Maou clapped Emi lightly on the shoulder, much as he had before, when telling her how she was doing the right thing. Looking at Rika and Ashiya now, Emi was tempted to simply say that Maou was right, and that she had indeed done the right thing.

The sun had fallen quickly behind the skyline of Tokyo, but the suite on the fourth floor of the Tokyo Counseling Services Building was far from quiet as the party finally kicked off. Pizza was delivered, drinks were poured, and soon enough everyone was talking loudly, with gentle house music playing in the background as they reveled in their survival of another week.

"This is bullshit," Urushihara proclaimed, shaking his head, "how is it that your tablet is faster than my computer?"

"Your laptop is just a little dated is all," Chiho said wisely, patting the fallen angel on the shoulder.

"Emiliaaa," Emerada said, sitting in Alberto's lap, "tell Rika about that romantic moment yesterday!"

"You mean the one where you spilled tea on yourself," Emi asked slyly.

"Nooo, the one where you found me and Al kissing in your kitchen!"

"Yeah," Emi nodded, "that's pretty much what happened."

Rika rushed up and sat on the couch by the Alberto and Emerada, gripping them both in a crushing hug as she gushed happiness.

"I'm just so happy for you guys!"

Maou and Ashiya sat side by side, eating pizza as they quietly discussed very important business.

"Why can't you come back if Rika's almost entirely healed," Maou wondered through a huge mouthful of pizza.

"It's complicated," Ashiya said simply, as if that cleared everything up. "Besides, has Raphael even gotten a hold of you?"

"No," Maou admitted, "but when he does, I'll be expecting you to come back, dammit! I miss your cooking."

"Are you saying there's something wrong with my cooking," Emi growled, appearing before the demons and glaring at them. She crossed her arms and cocked her head, mentally daring Maou to dis her culinary skills.

"Well, it's not the same as Ashiya's," Maou shrugged. "Everything you make is coated with celestial force, whereas Ashiya is the premier demon chef."

"I'm touched by your kind words, your majesty," Ashiya sniffled, dabbing at his eyes with a napkin.

Emi, to her surprise found no fault with Maou's claim. It was natural that a demon preferred his food not be lathered with celestial force, right? What was stranger was that Maou would usually focus upon Emi's insecurity about her cooking, and use it to goad her into an argument.

Sadly, the Hero had been denied this chance, and it seemed to make something else stir in her navel… it was something strange, something that she'd never really felt. She wanted to fight with Maou. Not a real fight, with magic and weapons, but loudly disagreeing on something petty and normal, like Emi's cooking. She wanted to grab the Devil by his wrists, throw him down on a bed and force him to realize she was always right by-

Emi found herself staring at Maou, her face red as she suddenly came back to her senses. The strange visions behind her eyes jarred her sense of reality. She looked Maou up and down as he continued his conversation with Ashiya. The Demon General sitting next to Maou, on the other hand, was watching Emi closely, in case she tried anything funny.

"Excuse me," Emi squeaked, waving a hand in her face. "I'm just gonna go outside for a few minutes… this heat is unbearable."

Emi left without disturbing the party, but her best friend, Rika, quickly took notice and excused herself as well. Rika raced down the stairs, and when the elevator doors opened, Emi jumped, her face still red and her heart racing like a cheetah as Rika grinned.

"Saw you leaving," Rika laughed at Emi's fright. "C'mon, let's get some cocoa and step outside."

After paying for two large hot chocolates, Rika led Emi out onto the front steps, where the two women sat together, holding onto their cups for warmth. Most people had already gone inside, as the nights had been chilly recently. Rhe street, and the sidewalks running alongside it, were devoid of pedestrians and vehicles.

"So, how have you been, Emi," Rika asked, eyeing at the Hero up and down.

Emi felt her friend's eyes upon, and they were so potent that she almost felt as if she were being x-rayed. Emi turned her gaze onto Rika as well, trying to discern how her co-worker felt. Rika looked amazing, considering all she'd been through, and Emi was happy for that, but the fact remained that they, the denizens of Ente Isla, had forever changed Rika's life. For a moment, Emi wished Rika would just scream, or shout at her so as to vindicate her guilt.

But no, Rika smiled that sly smile, her eyes bright as she stared at Emi.

"I always knew you were special," Rika blurted out.

Emi, whose eyes had been holding back tears, froze as Rika spoke. She felt the hot lines of wetness streak her face as Rika let her statement hang.

"From the first time I saw you, I knew there was something special about you," Rika said, pausing to take a sip of her cocoa, "you exuded this… I don't know. It was just this something, this special quality, and I remember thinking 'Oh my god, I _have_ to be this girl's friend.' That's why I invited you to sit by me on your first day at Docodemo."

"I remember that," Emi laughed, anxiously flicking her tears away. "I was so scared that I thought I'd have a heart attack right on the spot."

"You know what, Emi? I was right. I'm usually pretty good with people, so when you turned out to be this… this Hero… well, things started to fall into place. The way you were always busy, the way you kept everyone else at a distance… it was so that you could focus on hunting down the Demon King."

Emi didn't say anything. She felt like she'd end up sobbing if she tried, so instead she clenched her jaw shut tight, and simply tried to sniffle through the tears that wouldn't stop.

"Honestly, at first I thought you just didn't want to be my friend… I was sort of scared because, I mean, you were this beautiful, amazing woman with this x-factor I couldn't even begin to describe, and I was just some co-worker to you. I figured you'd probably have a ton of friends outside work, but as it turns out, your closest acquaintances are demons and church inquisitors," Rika laughed, throwing an arm over Emi's shoulder.

"Imagine how good it felt to know that you weren't just pretending to be my friend! I saw you fighting so hard against Asmodeus-"

Rika's breath seemed to catch in her throat, causing Emi to look at her with concern. Rika was smiling once more, though now she was tearful as well. It seemed that physically, Rika had healed substantially, but mentally, she was still fighting a tough battle.

"I watched you wield a magic sword; I saw Maou and Ashiya fight as hard as they could. All of you, together, fighting so hard… and all to save me, even though I was the one who-who lured you all…"

Rika blanched, unable to finish, and Emi threw her arms around her friend.

"I love you, Rika," Emi's voice cracked, "and I'm sorry I didn't visit sooner. I just felt so bad about what happened, I couldn't help but think-"

"It wasn't your fault, Emi," Rika whispered through her tears, "if anyone's to blame-mmmph."

Emi had covered Rika's mouth, looking as though she were on the verge of a breakdown.

"No matter what, I don't _ever_ want you to think that what happened was your fault," Emi said sadly. "Don't even think like that."

Rika felt a smile cross her face as Emi removed her hand. The Hero smiled as well, and the both of them hugged again, feeling better than they had in some time.

When they returned to Rika's room, however, they were not prepared for the madness that assaulted them.

"Everyone, lend me your ears and still your limbs," Maou cried out to the room at large.

Urushihara and Chiho, both of whom were facing off in a battle of computer games, tried to listen and play at the same time. Suzuno, was hanging over Urushihara's shoulder, using her wit to help the fallen angel beat the high schooler, though he still ended up losing. Ashiya was standing behind Maou on the bed, smoothing out his liege's cape, which was actually Rika's blanket, and straightening his crown, which was actually an old head mirror Maou had dug out of the closet.

Emerada and Alberto were playing a rather rowdy game of tag as they tried not to spill their drinks, or run anybody over. Emerada, of course, was winning, as she could slide under the bed and pop up on the other side in a millisecond, all without spilling a drop of her wine.

"Attention," Ashiya called, everyone pausing to pay heed to the Demon General.

Rika stood frozen in the doorway, staring quite intently at Ashiya, who, as it turned out, had used Rika's bra as a crown and her bed sheet as a cloak. Emi tilted her head, her eyes flickering from her personal guests, to Maou and Ashiya, and finally to Suzuno, Urushihara, and Chiho as she felt her brain cells die a little faster.

"Now that I have everyone's undivided attention," Maou said pointedly, staring at Urushihara, who cringed before shutting his laptop, "I'd like to make an announcement! Next Monday, my apartment will be reopened to the general public-"

"He means us demons," Ashiya added sternly, eyeing up everyone else with disdain.

"Yes, of course. Thank you, Ashiya. Anyway, yes, the Demon Army will once again have its Castle, and will resume operations first thing Monday morning! This means that I will be leaving Emi's, Urushihara will be leaving Suzuno's, and Ashiya will be returning more frequently. After Rika's full recovery, he'll be working once more as the resident househusband!"

"On another note, we will be hosting another get together next weekend, at the newly reestablished-and refurbished- Demon Castle," Ashiya announced.

"Maou! Ashiya! Get off the bed," Emi called out, catching the demons off guard.

Without question, Maou and Ashiya slumped off of the bed, both looking rather put out. Ashiya took off his crown and handed it to Rika, who hugged the bra to her chest, looking amused and scandalized. Maou, on the other hand, refused to surrender his crown.

"I found it," Maou insisted, shaking his head at Emi, "you can't just take my royal headdress!"

"Watch me," Emi sassed, reaching up to pull the crown from Maou's head.

With the swoosh of his blanket cloak, the Demon King foiled the Hero's plans, letting the Hero charge by him, as if he were a matador, and she was a raging bull. For a moment, he had to resist the urge to call out, "Ole, Toro!"

"Maou, I'm not sure you should be playing with that," Rika said seriously.

Maou, who was holding Emi at arm's length with a stiff arm, craned his neck away from the Hero, her fingers barely touching his face as she tried to de-crown the Devil.

"I'll put it back later," Maou compromised, thwarting Emi's attempts once more with another swish of his cloak.

The night grew old as the party climaxed and began to taper off into a sleepier affair. The music that blared from Chiho's laptop grew softer and slower, and everyone who'd been drinking was slowly nodding along with the beat.

The pizza had become cold and stale, and everyone's eyes were glazed from a combination of alcohol and sleep deprivation. One by one, they set up their sleeping bags and called it a night. Urushihara nearly had a heart attack when he saw how large the closet was. Suzuno joined him in the closet as well, claiming that the wine she'd overindulged upon had given her a headache, and that she needed absolute silence and darkness to sleep.

Emerada and Alberto, having gotten very little sleep the previous night, were passed out upon the couch, Emerada's head lying upon Alberto's shoulder as they both snored.

Rika and Ashiya fell asleep on the bed, watching TV while Maou and Emi laid down on the floor by Chiho, who was snoozing away quietly. Chiho hadn't been drinking, as her parents had forbid her from drinking without adult supervision, but she was very tired from school, work, and her social clubs.

As per the norm, this left Maou and Emi awake long after the others had fallen asleep, but they soon followed, having gotten little sleep the night before, and being exhausted by the day's events.

In the closet, the door of which was been closed by Suzuno, Urushihara was on his laptop, boredly clicking away at some online computer game. As soon as Suzuno had entered the closet, he knew he wasn't going to be getting any sleep, unless he wanted to get jumped while he slumbered.

He glanced at the clock, sensing how everyone else was asleep, even Maou and Emi, who were usually up the latest. The only other person whose mind was mysteriously clear was Suzuno, who quietly sat up and eyed Urushihara.

"Not going to sleep?"

"Sleep is best left to people who aren't insomniacs," the fallen angel said, rubbing his eyes and gazing blankly at the computer screen.

Suzuno sidled up to Urushihara, pressing herself against him. Her eyes were lit up by the computer screen as she watched him carefully, her body coursing with a nervous energy.

"Seriously," Urushihara muttered, glancing at the clergywoman, "this again?"

"We're alone, in the dark, and I've set up a ward that will shield the others from hearing any noises me might make," Suzuno murmured in his ear, "doesn't that entice you?"

"Not really," Urushihara said, suppressing a shudder, "truth be told, I couldn't do anything with you, even if I wanted to."

"What?"

"When you're an angel, you adhere to a certain code of conduct," the fallen angel explained tiredly, "essentially, physical intimacy with humans is off limits. Otherwise, every angel and their sibling would've flocked to earth and made a ton of Heroes. And, believe it or not, those Heroes are dangerous. They create great changes in the world of Ente Isla, so to do that with a human is against our laws."

"But a fallen angel-"

"-Is still bound by this code."

Urushihara looked meaningfully at Suzuno. In truth, he could do whatever the hell he pleased, but the fact remained that a fallen angel had never sired a child with a human… Urushihara wasn't sure such a union was a good idea.

'The lie is necessary,' he thought to himself, noting how sad and lonely Suzuno looked.

Finally, Urushihara sighed, and he held out a hand, focusing his power into it as he channeled what little holy magic he had left.

For a moment nothing happened. Then, with a metallic ringing, a light burst forth, and it blinded both Urushihara and Suzuno. The light dimmed, and slowly but surely, the object hovering over Urushihara's hands came into focus.

It was a circlet of golden metal, so perfect and brightly polished it might've been golden quicksilver. It radiated holy magic that made Suzuno shiver as she stared at it with wonder.

"Is that-"

"My halo," Urushihara said, looking at it tiredly, "here, take it."

Suzuno extended her arms reverently, and Urushihara dumped his halo into her hands. It floated above them, seemingly buffered by some kind of pressure, but she managed not to drop it.

"In Angel culture, we would exchange halos after we paired up and were united on holy matrimony," Urushihara explained, not looking at Suzuno, "and I figured… well, the only person to believe I still had some semblance of good in me was you, so…"

He let the statement trail off, but Suzuno continued to stare at the halo. For a moment, Urushihara wasn't sure how the clergywoman would react, but then she grasped him and pulled him into a hug. After she pulled away, she pecked him upon either cheek and then frowned at him.

"What should I do with it," Suzuno asked, tilting her head.

"Just hold on to it. So long as you have it, you can use it to speak with me, over any distance, even across worlds… and this way I can always find you."

"Thank you, Morningstar."

"You're welcome, Bell. Now, I think we should get some sleep."

Night gave way to day, as it tends to do, and brought with it a strange surprise for the people at the party. Maou and Emi, both of whom had turned in early, had also woken up early, and left before anyone else. They'd left a note, stating that they had gone to get breakfast, but it was already almost noon.

"Aw, they left to get food… without us," Chiho whined, flopping down on the bed and feeling excluded, even though the majority of the partygoers were still in the suite.

"They'd better bring something back for us," Urushihara mumbled, "I'm getting hungry, and Maou has all the money."

* * *

But a few hours earlier, with Maou and Emi, tensions were at an all-time low. They walked quietly down the streets of the Eifuku district, and both of them were peering around at the sights, all of which looked strangely familiar.

"Where are we going," Emi asked, her stomach growling as they went, "I thought we were going on a date? Isn't there food involved?"

Emi, who owed the date to Maou, was dressed rather nicely in a pair of heels, a bright yellow shirt that seemed to make her glow like a deity in the bright sunlight, and white skirt with flower patterns. It was a beautiful, sun drenched morning, though it was still a bit brisk. The both of them couldn't help but marvel at the splendor of the rising sun as they walked.

"Yes, there's food involved. Sheesh, do you ever stop complaining?"

Maou was dressed in a nice, newer pair of blue jeans, a clean t-shirt and a sports coat. Because it was of cheaper quality, the sports coat had no pockets, so he ended up sticking his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

They walked in silence a bit longer before finally coming to a stop in a business part of Eifuku. It was filled with large buildings of glass and steel that towered over them like giants, but nestled between them, like a testament to the days of yore, was a small café, the front of which was covered in flowery paintings that had peeled with age.

It was the same diner they'd been to before.

"This is our date spot," Emi asked, raising an eyebrow, "big spender, huh?"

"It's more affordable than the Hakkushu Teppanyaki. And to be honest, I don't think I ever want to go back there again," Maou muttered, shifting around nervously.

Emi looked at Maou, noting the sour look on his face as he spoke.

"Yeah, me neither."

Emi pulled on the arm of Maou's jacket, and he pulled his hand from his pocket. After a moment, she laced her fingers through his, savoring the warmth of his hand.

"Might as well keep up the illusion," Emi murmured. Maou got the feeling she was talking more to herself than to him.

Satan smiled before pulling open the door and letting Emilia lead the way inside.

* * *

In his office, far away from prying eyes, Raphael was sitting in a chair, nervously drumming his fingers on his desk as he waited for something.

He was in the same spot, at the predetermined time, waiting for something.

It must've been important, because sweat dotted his brow as his eyes flicked one way, then the other. He thought he felt a strange presence behind him, but when he turned around, no one was there. There never was. His orders were never delivered through such ineffective means as speaking. More often than not, they came to him in the form of a scroll, made from parchment paper that was found in Ente Isla, and bearing the seal of Heaven.

A gate popped open in front of Raphael, and he jumped, very nearly falling from his chair as it deposited a scroll upon his desk, and then faded into nothingness.

Raphael eyed the scroll warily. For his orders to have been changed so suddenly, it could only mean one thing: new intelligence had been gathered, and he would have to act in Heaven's best interests.

With fumbling fingers, he melted the wax seal with a burst of pinkish energy and carefully unfurled his orders. Raphael read through several lines, his face falling as he realized the worst had happened. Someone had leaked sensitive information of the Bernael Incident back to Heaven. They knew about his involvement with the Devil.

Raphael stared at the signature beneath the orders, which was written in hasty, slanted characters that denoted anger, or perhaps fear.

"Writ this day, in the name of her majesty, our Lord and Savior, Ignora," Raphael whispered to himself, hardly daring to believe that she had given the orders he held in his hand. For a moment, Raphael looked pale and uncertain, but then he folded in hands before his face, narrowing his eyes.

"The Demon Lord… must be eliminated."

* * *

"So, what can I get you two," asked the wizened proprietor of the café.

"Uh…"

Both Maou and Emi were absorbed in their menus for a moment before trying to speak at the same time.

"You go first," Maou said quickly.

"No, that's alright," Emi smiled, "you can order."

"Ladies first," Maou reminded her, "I insist."

Emi sighed, looking over her menu once more until she finally ordered. "I'll have the tempura… that sounds good."

"If I get the gyoza, I'll let you dip your tempura in my soy sauce," Maou offered, "but you have to give me a couple pieces of your tempura."

"Deal," Emi said.

"Coming right up," the older lady said, stepping into the back to work the kitchen.

There were a couple other people in the café today, though none of them seemed to be on dates. Most were just people in need of a quieter, more peaceful atmosphere. Maou and Emi sat at their booth, wondering what they could talk about. The silence was palpable.

"So… you'll be moving back into your place on Monday, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess the lab finally got the results back. I think they'll be unlocking it today, though, so I'll probably just go straight there after we're done visiting Rika."

"'Done visiting Rika,'" Emi asked, "good luck! That girl is gonna kidnap us and hold us hostage until Monday morning."

"I'm sure I can whip up a distraction or something," Maou laughed.

There it was again: that profound silence that always seemed to bear the weight of the world. It clung to Emi and Maou like storm clouds, following them around and pressing upon them whenever they stopped speaking. It served to remind them, no matter where they were, and no matter who they were with, of their stations. No matter what, Maou would always be the Devil. Emi would always be the Hero. Nothing and no one could ever change that, and the silence only seemed to set that fact in stone.

"So, Maou, how long do you think you'll stay here?"

Maou cocked his head at Emi.

"What, like, here in the café? Just long enough to eat and pay for our meal! I know it's uncool, but Ashiya doesn't like me being out too long, and I-"

"No, I mean in Japan," Emi shook her head, "how long will you be in Japan?"

"Who knows?"

"Of all people, I should think you would know."

"Nope. Sorry, Emi, I've got no clue. I could leave tomorrow, I could become immortal and stay here forever," Maou said with a roguish grin.

"So you have no plans? No nothing?"

"You know my plans…and considering present company, I think we could refrain from discussing them."

The old lady came out of the kitchen and set down two platters. Emi got the tempura, which consisted of batter fried sea food and vegetables. Maou got the gyoza, which was essentially dumplings, filled with a combination of meat, vegetables, and rice.

"You two enjoy your food," said the elderly woman.

"Thank you very much," Maou and Emi said in unison, glad that they'd finally gotten their food. It had taken some time to make, but they knew that they were in for one of the greatest culinary experiences of their lives.

"So, what about you, Emi," Maou asked through a mouthful of dumplings, "will you be staying in Japan long?"

"I don't know," Emi said sarcastically, "I could leave tomorrow, I could be here forever."

"Never change, Emi," Maou chortled. "Your glibness is one of your best features."

"I have plenty of other good features!"

Maou made no attempt to disagree with the feisty redhead sitting across from him. They finished their food in silence, with Emi trading Maou two of her seafood tempura bites for dipping rights in his soy sauce.

After the food was gone Maou said, "I've got this, keep your money."

"Oh? That's incredibly kind of you," said Emi.

"It's the least I can do, considering how you let me live with you for a week," Maou reminded the Hero. "To be honest, I'd probably have been homeless without you!"

The old lady who owned and ran the establishment came out and complimented Emi's outfit before collecting Maou's yen and thanking them for their patronage.

They left the café and headed to the nearest train station, but the walk was longer than they expected, and the day had only gotten colder. To top it off, they were now walking right into a headwind. Emi shivered, cursing her lack of forethought as she had forgotten her coat. Maou gave Emi his sports jacket, insisting that she wear it, and that he was naturally hot-blooded.

"That's why I kept turning down the thermostat at your place," Maou said simply. "Anything above seventy degrees makes me sweat! Plus, after working over a hot stove all day, I need air conditioning."

On the train ride, Emi realized two things. The first being that they hadn't picked up food for their comrades, as they'd promised they would, and the other was the fact that Maou and Emi had just gone on a fairly plain, ordinary date. Nothing strange or exciting had happened, no one had attacked them, they hadn't bickered or anything… it felt strange to Emi, but it also irritated her. Again, she began to question why it was Maou was so increasingly familiar with her.

"Hey Maou?"

"Hmm?"

"What's been up with you? You've been really nice to me lately."

Maou gave the Hero a patronizing look before saying, "Consider it payback for all the nice things you've been doing for me."

"But the hugs, the hand-holding… what's with all that."

Emi wanted to hear Maou's reasoning behind it. She could tell the question shook him, and he looked as though he were thinking hard about it. Finally, he clicked his fingers, and a barrier rose around them.

The passengers didn't seem to notice anything strange, in fact, no one even bothered to look up. They were all so engrossed in what they were doing that there was barely any conversation.

"We can speak freely, now. They can't hear us."

"So answer my question," Emi insisted.

Maou sighed, ruffling his dark hair and looking put upon before turning to look Emi up and down. Her cheeks were puffed out in determination, and she was staring at the Demon Lord as though watching for the slightest sign of dishonesty. Still, Maou couldn't help but notice how she was nervously twiddling her thumbs in her lap. The Hero was so cute when she was flustered.

"Emi, do you know anything about human psychology?"

"A little," Emi admitted, taken aback by Maou's question.

"Good, then you know that when humans engage in physical contact, endorphins are released that allow for greater human intimacy. It's how loves and friendships are formed: all by the touch of skin. All it takes it a little touch, or a hug. Even being close to someone over long periods of time can promote a sense of familiarity, or kinship. In short-"

"So, you're trying to brainwash me into trusting you," Emi concluded, one of her nightmares replaying in her head as her temper flared.

She saw her life pass her by in a blissful, fantastical blur of love and happiness. She and Maou were happy together in Ente Isla. Then it came crashing down when the Devil revealed he'd lied, and that he'd only pretended to love her. The vision became real, and Emi felt herself quake with anger.

"It's not brainwashing, it's familiarization," Maou corrected her, "and it's necessary for a working relationship!"

"Wha-so now you want a relationship with me!?"

"Well, duh," Maou exclaimed, "if I'm not on good terms with the Hero of Ente Isla, how the hell can I expect the humans to trust me! How can I ever make peace for our people?"

Emi was at a loss for words, in a matter of seconds, her anger, her fear, and finally, the strange tugging of butterflies in her gut had waxed and waned. She looked around, but no one had taken notice, no one had heard their argument.

"I see, it's a grand scheme to-" Emi began.

"Shut up!"

Emi turned her attention to Maou, his look of vexation sweeping away Emi's discontent. His eyes glowed with a violent crimson light, and his brow knit as he snarled.

"Just shut up! I'm so sick of you thinking the worst of me! Back and forth like a goddamn tennis ball, well I'm not hittin' it back! I'm not scheming, I'm not plotting! I am trying to be a decent human, and a good friend, but you make it so fucking hard! I just want to…"

Maou crossed him arms, breathing hard through his nose as he looked away from Emi, leaving his thoughts unfinished.

The truth was, he found Emi's lack of faith in him so degrading and heartbreaking that he felt he might shed tears. They'd done so much together, and they'd come so far, but for the Devil and the Hero, it seemed forgiving and forgetting was just not something they could ever do.

"Sorry," Emi said finally, looking away from the pouting Demon King, "I wasn't trying to make you out to be untrustworthy, I just have trouble trusting people… Olba betrayed me, the Church turned its back on me… Heaven is after the Sacred Sword, and my parents... well, they haven't exactly been there for me."

"What's your point," Maou asked rudely, turning to glare at Emi, who scowled right back before breaking their eye contact.

"My point is that I do trust you. I know it doesn't sound like it, but I do. That said, I'll still have doubts, Maou. You're the Demon King, after all, but if you can bear with this, with me… well, maybe we can do something great together, for the sake Ente Isla."

Emi held out a hand.

"What sort of doubts will you have," Maou probed, eyeing Emi carefully.

"All kinds," Emi smiled, "but if you can break past them and help me to trust you, then I think we'll get along just fine."

"Alright," Maou muttered, taking Emi's hand and shaking it, "you have a deal, but could you do me a solid and not make it sound like I'm plotting to take over again? I did it once and I ended up stuck here with you."

"Then you're pretty lucky," Emi cheeked, "cause I'm pretty much the best."

Maou smiled to himself. He couldn't agree more. With a snap of his finger, Maou dissipated the magical sound barrier.

Emi dug in her purse for a moment and said, "Hey, what are we gonna get for everyone? Our note said we'd bring them back food."

"We're not going back to the counseling place yet," Maou grinned, "I have another part of our date that I think you're gonna love."

Emi paled.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

They got off the train at the end of the line, coming out into the daylight by the Hanoncho Station. They passed by a junior high school as Maou led Emi along a street of low slung grey buildings. They came to a bridge, and instead of walking across it, Maou pulled Emi off to the side, so that they walked parallel to the water that flowed through a canal. It was strange to see a canal running through Tokyo, but it was surrounded by grey stone and bland concrete. Emi almost felt sorry for the water. The least they could've done was put in a park or something.

"This is the second part of our date? Going for a walk by a bunch of schools," Emi asked, looking over at all the large buildings to their left, which would be emptied of their students, given the weekend.

"No, we're here for the river," Maou said, "and besides, we're still technically not to the date site, yet. Could you quit complaining?"

"I was just asking a question," remarked Emi, feeling slightly hurt.

"Well... just wait… you'll know it when we get there!"

The two of them continued to walk, and in the distance, Emi saw that the buildings surrounding the canal fell away, replaced instead by plains of grass and playground structures. It looked rustic, but it was a nice change to see all the grass and trees.

"This is nice," Emi smiled, marveling at the colorful koinobori hanging along cables that had been strung up over the water as it wove through the park.

"This is nothing," Maou said, "c'mon, the best is yet to come!"

The Hero was put off by Maou's excitement. He seemed so cheerful and so nervous at the same time. Every now and again, he would cast a glance at Emi, trying to gauge her reactions. She kept a polite smile on her face, only letting it slip a bit when she thought about the Devil's destination.

'Where could he be taking me,' Emi wondered.

They crossed another bridge to avoid another bland section of residential district, and came to a curve in the river, passing by a baseball park as they went. Another three parks, all of which flowed seamlessly into each other, passed them by as they walked, Maou leading Emi by the hand as they went through throngs of people.

"Ok, close your eyes!"

"N-no," Emi stammered indignantly, "you'll just push me into the water!"

"Are you kidding me? It's fenced off! I'd be more worried about somebody stealing my kidneys," Maou reasoned, casting an eye to a few shifty looking young men leaning against the guard rails of the river.

"Just another good reason I shouldn't close my eyes," Emi muttered.

Maou gave the predicament some very serious thought before the lightbulb turned on in his head. He snapped his fingers and laid a hand upon either of Emi's shoulders.

"You'll just have to walk backwards," Maou said with a malicious grin as he began to steer her like a car.

Emi felt her face go red as the Devil pushed her backwards through foot traffic, his hands on her shoulders and his face only a foot from hers as he guided her expertly through the crowd. Emi miraculously managed not to stumble and fall on her butt as the Devil watched for trip hazards over her shoulder.

Emi saw the scenery change in front of her as she was pushed past a tall red building and a go kart track. The shrill cries of happy children faded quickly, leaving Emi with very little to look at. A sign off to her right read 'Zenpuku-ji River Green Space'.

"Alright," Maou said finally, stopping in his tracks, "we're here. Go ahead and turn around."

Emi did. Her breath caught in her chest as she took in the beauty of the scene.

The river flowed on for almost six hundred feet in a straight line, but that wasn't what caught Emi's eye. All along the river, raining pale pink petals into the water, were dozens of cherry blossom trees. Due to the chill in the air, they'd begun to drop their petals. They landed in the water and were carried away on a gentle current as they floated downstream.

"It's beautiful," Emi whispered.

No response came. Emi spun around to look for Maou, but he was gone. She gazed to and fro, only to spot him already returning, carrying two cups of steaming hot chocolate from a little stall along the river.

"Here," he help out a cup, "I figured it's colder by the water, so…"

Emi took the cup, hoping that the chill in the air helped to stifle the blood rushing into her face.

"Thanks," Emi said, sipping at the cocoa.

A deep, disgruntled voice from behind Emi and Maou spoke.

"Well, well, well. Looks like you're not single, after all."

The Devil and the Hero turned, only to be confronted by a man neither of them had ever seen before. He was about their age, maybe a little younger, with spiky black punk style hair, a leather duster, and headphones that were blaring rock music. He was staring at Emi with hungry eyes as he grinned stupidly.

"Name's Kirono," the guy said, stepping forward, "I saw you were waiting for something a second ago… figured you might want some company."

"Sorry, pal," Maou interjected, stepping between Emi and the stranger, "but she's here with me."

Kirono looked Maou up and down. This newcomer stood a head taller than the Demon King, and he was clearly physically fit. He probably worked out every day, but the piercings in his ears and the way he styled his hair made him look like a troublemaker rather than a jock.

"That's cool, I just figured I'd offer her a better deal. Face it, guy, she's out of your league," Kirono jeered.

"Maou," Emi said warningly.

She could already feel the Devil's anger, which floated off of him like waves. It was almost as if there was an intense pressure building within his being. Maou's eyes flared a brilliant crimson, even in the daytime sun, and Kirono stepped back.

"What the-"

"Begone," Maou hissed.

Fear clawed at Kirono's chest, as if someone had poured ice water down his shirt. He looked around, and the day seemed to grow darker and darker. The only light that seemed to grow was the insidious scarlet gleam in Maou's glare.

"Tch. Whatever, losers," Kirono muttered, though his voice cracked as he spoke.

When he walked away, Emi noticed his face turn white and his pace quicken. By the time he was halfway across the park, the poor guy had broken into a sprint.

"That was weird," Emi stated.

"He was totally gonna steal your kidney," Maou said, looking deathly serious.

"Shut up."

Emi took Maou's hand again, and they walked slowly through the park once more. They savored the smell of the cherry blossoms, and the wonderful tribute to nature hidden in the gleaming metropolis of Tokyo. It was easy to forget little pockets of green like that existed in the city.

"It feels so good to see all this grass," Emi breathed, "I only wish we could've come here when it was warmer."

At that particular moment, Maou didn't think he could get any warmer. Emi's compliment made him burn up with pride.

"Yeah, it's nice to get away from all that," Maou agreed, flinging out a hand at all the buildings that were visible on all sides, just past the emerald horizon.

As they walked, they passed a large square of stalls set up on the side of the walkway. Emi and Maou approached to see what they were selling.

"Best ramen around," one man said.

"Warmest rolls you've ever had," someone else hocked.

Emi and Maou, who'd already eaten, decided to have a seat and talk while they finished their hot chocolate, which was starting to cool down. Neither of them took notice, but their conversations were easy, flowing from one point to another as they bantered and made gossip. Maou loved hearing about how much Emi hated her boss. He couldn't help but wonder if there was ever a time she had talked about him with such disdain.

"Well, there's one more surprise after this… if you don't mind a little… risk," Maou grinned, making Emi raise an eyebrow.

He refused to say anything more, and Emi pestered him all the way out of the square and down the riverside. She only stopped when the sound of quick footsteps behind them caught their attention.

Racing up from behind was a young man around their age with glasses. He was rather scrawny, and dressed in a student uniform. He was clearly chasing them, for when Emi and Maou stopped, he took a moment to double over, panting as he tried to speak.

"I'm… here to… ask…"

"Huh," Maou tensed, unsure about the man's objectives.

"I was…wondering… interested…"

"Are you ok," Emi inquired politely.

The man stood up straight, took a deep breath, and spoke as fast as he could before panting some more.

"Hi-I'm-a-student-from-Takachiho-University-could-I-get-the-two-of-you-to-participate-in-a-quick-anonymous-survey?"

Emi and Maou spoke at the same time, however….

"No, thanks," Emi said.

"Yeah, why not," Maou shrugged.

…their answers were quite different.

The Devil and the Hero looked at each other for a moment before speaking at the same time once more. This time, their answers were reversed.

"Sure," Emi laughed.

"No," Maou sighed.

"Awesome! I promise this'll only take a moment," the student said, wiping the sweat from his brow and pulling out a notepad and a pen.

"Now, am I correct in assuming you two are a couple?"

Emi and Maou looked at each other again, each one waiting for the other to answer.

"I see," the student muttered, scribbling quickly, "and am I correct in assuming you two are sexually active?"

Again, no response, but Emi and Maou both gaped like land-locked fish as their faces turned red.

"Fascinating," the young man said absently, apparently drawing his own conclusions from the silence.

He wrote even faster, not even bothering to look at his volunteers before firing of even more intrusive questions.

"Do you two use protection? Do your parents know? Would you two agree that the rampant sexual activity amongst your age group is responsible for Japan's socio-economic decline? Do you two have jobs, or do you find that your unrestrained libidos get in the way of gainful employment?"

"Alright," Maou shouted, taking Emi by the hand, "I think we're done here!"

"Yes, I agree," the student sighed, still scribbling as he turned and walked away, not even bothered by his subjects' storm off.

Maou huffed as he led Emi through the crowd, doubling back as he dragged her along the river, back toward Hanoncho Station.

"Y'know what," Maou said, "we're just gonna get this last part of the date out of the way… there are way too many weirdos out and about right now."

"We could come back at night," Emi mused, "I'd like to see if you actually do end up losing a kidney."

"I can only imagine how Ashiya would take that," Maou laughed nervously.

"He'd probably scold you for being reckless."

"Yep, that sounds like my Ashiya."

Another train ride followed their time at the park, though this time it was much more uncomfortable than before. Even when Maou and Emi were fighting, there was a certain sense of rightness in the world. They were enemies, after all… kind of. But when confronted by a human who was making all sorts of snap judgements and not letting them speak, it seemed that things couldn't get much more awkward.

"So, what's the last part of this date," Emi muttered in Maou's ear, making the Demon King twitch and lean away from her.

"We're gonna go buy some eggs."

"And?"

"We're gonna throw them at your boss' house," Maou whispered to Emi, not wanting anyone to hear of the illegality of their plans.

"You are so good at being bad," Emi laughed, shaking her head.

"Thanks," Maou said, "but I'm actually the best at being bad. I have a crown and everything… or, I did."

Twenty minutes later, they arrived in the Shinjuku district, following a large sidewalk down the street as they passed by several large buildings.

"Go figure, the jerkwad lives in a nice part of town," Emi seethed. After a bit more thought, she frowned. "Wait a second, how do you know where he lives?"

"I had Urushihara look it up," Maou told Emi, "I may give him a lot of crap, but he's really useful when it comes to all this technology stuff."

"Oh… but what if Mitsude's house has cameras?"

Emi was beginning to feel a sense of impending doom. What if there were witnesses? What if she got arrested? What is she got sued and lost her job and had to start working with Maou at MgRonalds?!

The thought made Emi shiver in such a way that had nothing to do with how cold it was.

"I'll be turning us invisible," Maou said, smiling at Emi, who looked even paler now that she was so unsure of their plans.

"But-"

"Don't worry, Emi," Maou mumbled, pulling the Hero to his side and rubbing her arm to help her regain some of her body heat, "just play it cool. I know what I'm doing."

Emi allowed herself to be steered this way and that, until the commercial buildings fell away and revealed several nice houses in what was clearly an upstanding neighborhood. A part of Emi almost wished that Maou would turn them invisible so that none of the other houses would have footage of them. She knew that if she had such nice vehicles in her driveway, she'd have put a camera trained on them every second of every day.

"Relax," Maou said again, noting how stiff Emi had become, "we've been invisible for, like, fifteen minutes. There's nothing to worry about."

They arrived in a grocery store and Emi watched as Maou walked right down the aisle, grabbed two cartons of eggs and then walked back out. She was about to scold Maou for stealing when he tossed some yen down in an open till and walked out of the door. Emi followed him uneasily, looking back every so often to make sure no one noticed the theft.

"I'm not sure I'm ok with this," Emi admitted, trailing along behind Maou, who stopped and frowned at her.

"Why not? I paid more than double what the eggs are worth," Maou said.

"I mean with this… with egging my boss' house."

"Oh, and why is that," the Devil asked.

"It just feels… wrong."

"I see… in that case, we don't have to," Maou shrugged, grinning as he handed Emi a carton of eggs, "we'll use these to feed everyone else when we get back to the suite."

Emi didn't say anything, but as soon as Maou pulled her away from the nice neighborhood and back towards the train station, she felt intense relief spread throughout her being. She'd been close to breaking the law with Maou, just because she was angry at her boss…

'It's not like I asked him to do that for me,' Emi reasoned with herself, 'he was just being nice.'

'Still,' her more vindictive side muttered, 'it would've been totally worth it to see the look on Mitsude's stupid face.'

'If I can't expect myself to live peacefully with humans, how can I expect the Devil to do so,' Emi thought sadly.

She was pulled from her reverie by Maou, who said, "Alright, Emi?"

"Fine," she muttered, "just a little tired."

She pulled Maou's coat tighter about herself as she and the Devil walked. They boarded the westbound train, and when they were only a few minutes away from the Higashi-Koganei Station, Maou leaned towards Emi.

"Well, how was that for a date," Maou asked.

He was genuinely curious as to how Emi felt about the date. To his delight, a tired smile crossed her face, though it didn't quite reach her eyes, and he could see the gears in her head turning.

"It was great," Emi said, "thanks, Maou."

Sure, she was preoccupied, but Emi had enjoyed Maou's date, even though he hadn't been able to help her take her vengeance on her crappy boss. Maou chalked her distracted look up to their previous conversations, where Emi had stated she would still have doubts. A part of Maou wondered what sort of doubts Emi would face, and how they would affect her relationship with him. Another part of him didn't really care. No matter what, he'd help her get past whatever mental blocks she concocted.

After a lengthy train ride, Maou and Emi only had a few minutes of walking before they returned to Tokyo Counseling Services, wherein they would no doubt be besieged with complaints, nosy questions, and a conglomerate of dissatisfied, hungry personages. To even the odds of survival, Emi and Maou made a stop at a local convenience store, gathering up heaps of junk food, sodas, and sweets so as to soften the blow of their return.

"WHERE HAVE YOU TWO…are those apple pies," Ashiya asked.

Maou tossed one to his most loyal general.

"You bet," the Devil smirked.

"Thank you my lord!"

However, not everyone was so blinded by cheap pastries.

"Where have you two been," Rika asked, looking at her phone to check the time. "It's already four in the afternoon! We were gonna go swimming!"

"Isn't it a little cold for the beach," Maou asked.

"There's a water park here in the building," Rika said, waving a hand while Maou froze.

"Are you telling me that this place has a goddamn water park?!"

"Yeah. Not sure if you've noticed this, Maou, but this is a pretty classy joint!"

Maou frowned at Rika, who was peering at him and Emi as though she had seen everything they'd done since they'd left. She was too smart for her own good. Everyone else swarmed the snacks, mostly with thanks, though Urushihara took a bag of chips without thanking his compatriots. He looked as though he hadn't slept very well.

"Well, now that Maou and Emilia are back, let us go to the waterpark," Alberto announced, ripping off his shirt and flexing, causing Emerada to faint, blood running from her nose as she fell back against the couch.

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Ok, we've gotta stop meeting like this.**

 **Kidding, you guys rock.**

 **Moving right along, for those of you not familiar with koinobori, they are carp wind streamers. The more you know...**

 **A lot of work went into this date. At first, it was just Maou and Emi in the café. There was no juiciness, no humor. I added the park scene to spice things up... I'll let you guys decided whether or not it worked. I mapped out all of the locations visited, and even the train rides and the times it would take to go between them. If you Google Hanoncho Station, or Zenpuku-Ji River Green Space, you will see pictures of what I was trying to convey with words. I've been experimenting with my writing style, as well, little nudges here there. If something seems off, that's probably what it is.**

 **Anyway, yeah, this chapter was a bastard to write. Ten points to me for getting it done.**

 **Oh, plus Rika and Emi feels, and SuzunoxUrushihara, cause why the hell not?**

 **MUSIC!**

 **Better Days-Hedley**

 **I Just Know-Jacob Lee**

 **Amnesia-Virgil**

 **Question-The Old 97's**

 **Blue Eyes- Cary Brothers**

 **The last few songs were from Scrubs, as I've been re-watching the show.**

 **Thoughts-Michael Schulte**

 **That's all I've got for now. Finding love songs is hard.**

 **Later, Devils.**

 **EDIT: THANKS FOR ALMOST TWO YEARS, 70,000 VIEWS, AND OVER 165,000 WORDS! HERES TO MANY MORE YEARS AND WORDS TO COME! Ok, maybe not years, but there's definitely more words to come. Count on it.**


	27. The Devil and the Hero: Angels Fall

While everyone else changed and got ready to go to the water park, Maou prepared for a quick trip back to his apartment to grab some essentials, and sort through the mess that undoubtedly awaited him.

"You can't leave," Rika said adamantly, "you just got back!"

"I'll only be gone for a couple hours," Maou reasoned.

"Hurry back," Emi called, already heading for the elevator with Emerada, Alberto and Chiho.

Maou smirked. He would definitely hurry back. It wasn't as if there was much to do on a Sunday in the Sasazuka district, anyway.

The train ride was an hour long for Maou, and it certainly gave him plenty of time to think, which he felt he definitely needed. Things had been moving so quickly for him that a solid hour to just sit and ponder was a bit of a blessing. There was also the fact that once his apartment was cleaned and ready, he could move back in, and his commute would be cut nearly in half. He wouldn't miss arriving to work sweaty and out of breath because he'd been riding his bike as hard as he could to avoid being late.

He arrived at the familiar stop of the Sasazuka station and slowly made his way back to his home, thinking all the while about his date with Emi.

'Sucks that college was out,' he thought. 'Next time, I'll just schedule a date when everyone is in school. That way, we don't have to worry about our precious kidneys.'

He laughed to himself for a moment before a stray thought caused him to lose his step.

'Are we ever gonna have another date?! Would Emi want to go on another one?! Damn those college kids and their ability to create awkward situations!'

After steadying his breathing and leashing his anger once more, he continued down the sidewalk. In the distance he could make out the vaguely familiar shape of his apartment building, his home away from home, his Castle: the Villa Rosa.

"I'm finally home," Maou muttered. His voice cracked as he wiped away a tear. "Normally, I'd hug you, but… well, I'm pretty sure there's still asbestos in there, somewhere."

Maou pounded up the steps, savoring every thud of his shoes on the metal, and the familiar cold touch of the railing. It was nostalgic in the best sense, filling him with fond memories of Emi falling down the stairs… those were the days.

What Maou didn't expect was for his apartment to be completely cleaned. When he walked inside, things were almost exactly as they bad been before the smoke-out. The table was in the center of the room, and everything that had been taken out and tested for contamination had been put back exactly where it was supposed to go.

"Demon Lord Satan," said a deep voice.

Maou jumped and spun around, only to find Raphael the Archangel standing behind the door. He slowly pushed it shut. His face was an unreadable mask, though he looked far from happy.

"I was just coming back to grab some stuff," Maou said loudly. "I'll be moving back in next week, I promise! I wasn't gonna break the rules or anything."

"Demon King, have a seat at the table."

Raphael's voice was flat. Maou turned to look at the table, and he found a scroll sitting upon it. The scroll was made of yellowing parchment, unlike most paper on Earth, and it was emblazoned with a wax seal that bore the symbol of Heaven. Maou could sense the Celestial Force pouring off of it.

"What's that," Maou asked.

"Have a seat and read it," Raphael insisted.

Maou could feel something was off with the Angel of Love, but he made no mention of it s he kicked off his shoes and stared into his hot pink eyes. They regarded Maou with no mirth, no anger, no nothing. The only thing Maou saw was a blank slate, which only served to make Raphael appear somewhat sad, and make Maou nervous.

Taking a seat at the table, Maou slowly unfurled the scroll, touching it carefully, as though it were burning him. His eyes scanned a few lines, and suddenly he stiffened. There was the sound of humming in the air. Maou smiled a little, and he slowly turned around with a self-berating thought. There was Raphael towering over him, with a great two handed claymore of pink energy buzzing in his hands as he reared back for a strike.

"Die, Satan."

"If it were that easy, Emi would've done me in already, pal."

* * *

"Hey, Urushihara, Ashiya, get over here!"

The two Demon Generals, both of whom were relaxing in the hot tub, sighed as they left the blissful bubbly paradise. They walked across the slippery water park floor until they arrived at the lounge chair area, where Emi and Rika were both reclined.

"What the hell do you two think you're doing," Emi asked.

"Huh?"

"What are you talking about, Hero?"

"I can sense that demonic energy you're letting off from over here," Emi rolled her eyes. "Knock it off, will you? Some people are trying to relax."

"As you very well know, I'm nearly drained of demonic power," Ashiya retorted, "and Urushihara practically barren, himself."

"But then what-"

Emi's phone rang. She looked at the screen for a second, and ice cold dread formed a ball in her gut. It was Maou, and she sensed another great spike of demonic power as the phone began to ring. It was so strong, even Ashiya and Urushihara involuntarily twitched.

"That's the Demon Lord's power," Ashiya said, narrowing his eyes. "And it's coming from Sasazuka!"

Emi answered her phone.

"Maou? Maou, talk to me!"

She heard panting, and sharp static, as though powerful energies were disrupting the call. There was a strange humming sound, and she heard metal clanging against metal.

"Being attacked," Maou muttered, "Raphael… need help to neutralize-"

Maou was cut off by more metallic clangs. Emi realized they were likely crossing blades.

"Where are you," she asked, "I'll come right over!"

"Uh- we're at the intersection of four-twenty and four-thirty-one, headed towards the park! And if you guys could hurry- OW, THAT HURT, YOU BASTARD- that'd be really great!"

"Maou-"

"Gotta go!"

Maou ended the call, and everyone looked at Emi. As she looked at each of them in turn, she noticed how white faced and worried they looked.

"I guess Maou is having a little trouble with-uh… well, c'mon you two, we gotta go!"

Emi stood, and immediately began to gather her things, while Urushihara and Ashiya stood at the ready, their eyes starting to glow as the energies Maou released soaked into them. Noting how all their friends had gathered in one place, Emerada and Alberto came over as well, still soaked from having gone down the waterslide together.

"What's going on," Emerada asked.

"Maou is in danger," Emi said, "me and these two yahoos are going to save him."

"C'mon, Emi, we don't have all day," Urushihara sighed as Chiho and Suzuno arrived as well.

"What's going on," Chiho asked.

"Ok, Ashiya, explain it to these guys while I finish packing," Emi scowled, shoving her beach towel, sunglasses and a paperback novel into her bag.

"M'lord is in danger," Ashiya said simply.

Chiho gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. Suzuno raised an eyebrow, and couldn't help but remember the first time she'd met the Devil in combat.

"I'll stay here," she sighed grimly, "the last thing I need is for the Devil to start stripping down in front of me again."

"Oh, geez, are you still traumatized by that," Emi wondered aloud, smirking at the inquisitor.

"Hold up, Maou did WHAT?"

Chiho was red in the face, and her shout drew more than a few disgruntled looks, but Suzuno simply lead the high schooler away and bought her an ice cream to calm her nerves before telling her the full story.

"Alright, So that's me and the demons… are you two gonna come and help us out?" Emi peered between Alberto and Emerada, both of whom looked rather unsure. Fighting to help Emi was one thing… but the Demon King? Was that wise?

"Emilia, wouldn't it be belter if we simply let him be defeated here?"

"No."

"No?"

"No! If Maou dies, then the demons are left without a King! They'll elect a new ruler, or one will take the crown by force! They'll march on Ente Isla without so much as a thought about casualties and consequences. No, the best course of action at this point is to save the Demon King. Slowly but surely, he'll learn what it means to be human. We can make him an ally."

Emerada and Alberto were shocked, to say the least. Urushihara and Ashiya made no mention of the fact that Maou intended to do the same thing for Emi, only in reverse. After packing, kicking on her flip-flops and saying goodbye to Rika, Suzuno, and Chiho, she lead an odd unit of two Demon Generals, a Master Sorceress, and a Northern Warrior out of the water park in her bikini, headed upstairs to change into something a bit more suitable for kicking ass.

* * *

Maou dodged around the enormous pink claymore as best he could, but the Archangel swung it so quickly it was difficult to avoid. Not to mention that the sword was almost as tall as Maou, if not taller. The combination of reach and weight meant that Maou had to contort his body quite a bit in some scenarios.

Raphael lunged, and made to cleave Maou in half at the waist, but the Demon King managed to do something he'd seen in a Western film called the Matrix. The good news was that the blade missed as Maou bent over backwards. The bad news was that when he stood back up, his back seemed to have been thrown out.

"That really hurt," Maou massaged his back as his eyes watered.

"Die, Satan!"

Maou forced his back to bend, and he ducked beneath the blade. When he was back on his feet, he was behind Raphael, and it seemed he'd worked out the knot in his spine.

"Better," he smiled.

Raphael swung again, a great sweeping blow that should've made easy work of Maou, but the Devil raised a shield, his eyes burning like coals in a fire as he focused his magic.

"Y'know, I thought we were cool, man," Maou said, snarling at Raphael, "I can't believe you let Heaven push you around like that!"

"I am not to question my orders!"

"That's exactly why you _should_ question your orders," Maou retorted, throwing a fistful of crimson power at Raphael and forcing him to retreat. The angel jumped backwards and spread his wings, letting the wind carry him back even farther out of harm's way before landing gently on the lawn.

The park was fairly empty, but as it was the weekend, there were a few people out and about. Those that looked at the battle seemed intrigued, but they watched it blankly, as though it were for a movie being shot in the park, or perhaps a special effects video from the internet.

"The Devil has no place telling me what to do! The Devil has no right to question Heaven's Will!"

"When Heaven tried to mess with the Devil and his friends, you can bet that he's gonna come a-knockin' and he'll show you where you can stuck 'Heaven's Will'! Right up your"-

Maou was cut off by Raphael vanishing and reappearing behind him.

"It's nothing personal," Raphael said, his eyes filled with sorrow as he made to strike down Satan. Maou was too quick, however, and with a click of his fingers, he raised a barrier to block the blow.

"Are you kidding me? That's probably one of the most cliché moves in all anime," Maou scoffed, "I'd tell _you_ to get a wig too, but you've actually got some dynamite hair. Maybe you should grow it out!"

Raphael swung again, but this time Maou jumped, flipping clear over Raphael, who stood a good three heads taller than the Devil, and landed behind him once more. Instead of waiting for Raphael to strike, Maou pulled a bench out of the ground as easily as Ashiya pulled weeds in the garden. With a grunt of effort he threw it at the Archangel. Maou thought it was a successful hit until a pink blade sprouted from the bench and cleaved it in half. Each half of the bench embedded itself in the ground behind Raphael, tearing up the lawn of the park.

"There is my reason for fighting you," Raphael said, gesturing at the bench, "aside from my orders, you seem to have no respect for life, in any form. This grass will die from your carelessness!"

"No respect for life? Are you kidding me? I put away my sword because I didn't want to hurt you! And now you're complaining about me ruining the lawn?! You do realize that after I kick your ass, I'll be using all of my precious magic to clean up the mess we make, right? That's how it is every time I try to do something nice!"

Raphael looked on blankly as Maou had a miniature mental breakdown, wherein he recounted all his earthly battles. From Sariel to the museum, even his battle with Lucifer and Olba. He disparaged that every time he fought, he was generally the one stuck cleaning up the mess afterward, even though he rarely caused it. By the time Maou was done shouting at absolutely nothing, he was out of breath, and the glowing lilac claymore in Raphael's hands had been let dangle at his side.

"Huh. Ok, well, aside from all that, there are still my orders to consider!"

"Again with your orders! Come on, do you even know who writes them out? Do you ever get some sort of confirmation? For all you know, I could be the one writing out your orders! You'd never know!"

Raphael's brow knit together. Apparently, Maou had hit some sort of soft spot, because Raphael looked unsure for a moment.

"Whether or not my orders are legitimate, I know that Heaven wants you destroyed, Devil."

"But what about you? Something tells me you don't want to do this. You've been wearing that blank expression since we first started fighting, but… I don't know, you just don't seem all that into it."

Maou put his hands on his hips, looking concerned for Raphael. The Archangel turned away, tutting as he clenched his jaw. The archangel of love never wanted to kill people. In all his yeas, he'd found that war was never filed with warriors, it was fill with lovers who had learned to fight for the ones they loved. It would seem that, in the end, he shared the same fate.

"Do you need a hug. Raphael? C'mon, big guy, bring it in!" Maou extended his arms, only to withdraw them as Raphael swung his sword, very nearly lopping them off. "What the hell, man? I thought we were having a moment! I'm trying to be nice!"

"Well, stop it, fiend," Raphael shouted, using his sword to keep the Demon King and his abominable hugs at bay.

"Geez, fisrt Emi, now you? What does a guy gotta do to catch a break from overly cautious idiots around here," Maou wondered aloud, picking at his chin as he frowned at the Archangel. Unfortunately, there wasn't much Maou could do without hurting Raphael, and he didn't want to have to resort to that.

"Here she comes," Raphael said, his attention drawn away from Maou as he cocked his head to the side.

Even from over ten miles away, Maou could feel Emi's celestial force flare up like a beacon on a cold, dark night. The Hero was on her way, and judging from her power output, she was angry. Maou could hardly blame her, he was looking forward to a relaxing day at the indoor water park before the ambush.

"The Hero can't help you," Raphael said.

"That sweat on your forehead indicates that you think otherwise," Maou said., noting how the Archangel had paled.

Slowly, step by step, the Devil and the Archangel circled each other. Each footstep was carefully placed, and the uneven ground of the park was dotted with soft spots and other tripping hazards. One wrong move would result in a fatal opening that could be easily exploited.

"After I destroy you, I am to destroy the Hero, and take Better Half back to Heaven for decontamination and purification."

"Don't insinuate Emi is unclean," Maou said, "seriously, dude. She'll mess you up if she hears you talk about her like that."

Raphael lunged. Maou sidestepped, but the tip of the energy sword pierced Maou's baggy shirt, slicing a large bit of fabric clean off.

"Damn it! This shirt is one of my favorites! Now Ashiya's gonna complain when he has to fix it!"

The mention of the Demon General Alciel gave Raphael pause. He remembered the Bernael Incident, during which Ashiya had been kidnapped. Maou had been so hurt, so impacted by it, that he had seemed to be borderline unhinged. That was frightening, of course, but the fact that the Devil felt so strongly for his subordinate, and that he called them his friends, was perplexing in its own right.

"My orders do not dictate that I must kill your Generals," said Raphael. "Give up now and I will spare them. They may stay here and live in peace after I return to Heaven."

"No dice, and besides, even if they lived, what about Emi?"

"What about her?"

Maou scowled, and a shadow seemed to fall over the day as he said, "I'm not gonna let you hurt her. She's been through enough, and I won't leave my Generals leaderless! None of us should suffer for Heaven's mistakes! We didn't make this mess! I don't want to hurt you, but if you think of touching so much a hair on any one of their heads, I'll have no choice but to send yours back to Ignora! Body not included!"

"Asinine demon!"

"Dumbass Archangel!"

Raphael charged forth, a blood red claymore of pure heavenly magic slicing through the air as Maou advanced, too. His fists were enclosed in demonic magic, and a black aura shimmered all around him.

The blade was inches from Maou's neck. Time seemed to slow to a crawl, and before Raphael could react, Maou had ducked under the sword. He come back up within the Fire Commisioner's guard and sank a clenched fist into Raphael's gut.

Demonic magic coursed through the angel. An icy chill gripped his bones as the Devil's magic quickly overtook and forced out his own in a single blast, like that of a bomb.

"Totally worth it," Maou muttered, dropping to his knees before Raphael.

The Archangel swayed. His vision blurred, and the energy claymore in his hands vanished. All of his magical power, every single rationed bit of celestial force in his body, had been drained. The Devil had forced it out, like using two magnets of the same pole.

"You… vile… demon."

"Not so big now… are you," Maou grinned. The MgRonalds employee gripped the grass as he breathed slowly. In draining his own magic, he'd managed to disable Raphael… but now they were both stuck there until Emi and the others arrived, and nothing would stop Raphael form attacking once he'd recovered.

"No," Raphael whispered, his voice cracking as he fell backward onto the grass.

Something was wrong. Raphael began to convulse and twitch. He curled into a ball and clenched his stomach, sobbing as he held his gut.

"No… I-I've failed… please, o' Lord in Heaven, grant me the chance to make amends! I will kill Satan! I will recover the Holy sword!"

Maou tried to sit up from where he now lay in the grass, but it was no use. He was so weak, so tired… he just needed to rest. He hadn't done any lasting damage, he'd just drained the Angel's holy magic. Perhaps he just wasn't used to the empty, powerless sensation of losing it all.

"Maou… Raphael?"

Emi had appeared, standing over Maou and looking him over critically. "You look like Hell," she noted dryly.

"Good to see you, too," Maou groaned.

"M'lord! Are you alright?"

Ashiya, Urushihara, Alberto and Emerada were all there as well. They must've flown, because Maou knew it was almost a solid hour's train ride from the Tokyo Couseling Services building. Alberto and Emerada stepped forward, eyeing up Raphael with wonder.

"What happened to hiiiim," the petite sorceress asked.

"I used my… demon magic… to neutralize the threat," Maou grumbled slowly.

"You didn't kill him, did you," Emi asked.

"No, just got rid of his magic… mine too."

Emi kicked at the grass before bending down and extending a hand to the Devil.

"Next time you can handle something by yourself, just do that," she scoffed, frowning down at the Devil.

Maou grinned before taking Emi's hand and letting her pull him upright. Emi scowled and wiped her hand on her shirt.

"You're hands are sweaty," she blurted.

The Devil was distracted, however, for Urushihara, who was kneeling over Raphael, called out, "Hey, guys! Get over here!"

The angel was still curled up, though now he seemed to be rolling about. He was whispering prayers and apologies to no one, and his eyes were wide and terrified.

"What the hell happened," Emi demanded.

"I don't know," Maou said, "I just purged all of our magic… maybe he's panicking?"

Without meaning to, Raphael slipped back into Ente Islan, but all present could still hear his mumbled ramblings.

"I will not fail, I will not. The Holy Sword-Satan-the Hero… no! I cannot just kill them-"

His body unfurled. His clothes were covered in grass and dirt. His once swanky business casual clothes were now ruined. As he lay on his back, he struggled to breath. Raphael's wings appeared on his back, and he groaned in agony as he bared his teeth and clamps his eyes shut tight.

"AAAAAAARRRRRGGGGHHH!"

With a terrible scream, the Archangel's wings began to burn. Holy light flashed from behind his eyelids. The air seemed to hum with electricity as Raphael shook, almost as if a seizure had overtaken him.

* * *

Miles away, at the Hatagaya Sentucky Fried Chicken restaurant, Sariel was sitting at a table, using a pair of binoculars to scope out the MgRonalds across the street. He was hoping to catch a glimpse of his queen, his light, his goddess, Mayumi Kisaki. He shuddered, but it had nothing to do with seeing her resplendent beauty as she emerged from her office.

"Another one bites the dust, huh? Wonder how the Devil managed that," Sariel asked, putting down his binoculars and looking at the food before him. It was with a weary sigh that he realized he no longer had an appetite for food. Even looking at Kisaki took a temporary backseat as he contemplated another lost comrade, and how It would affect his peaceful stay in Japan.

"I suppose it's back to the frontlines for me."

* * *

"What's going on," Emi asked.

To her surprise, it was Urushihara who answered.

The fallen angel had been eerily complacent the entire time Raphael had thrashed and rolled about. When Raphael had begun to burn, he had only tucked his hands into his pockets and slouched a little more, effectively ruining his already poor posture.

"He's become infected with demonic magic," Urushihara explained, "and after failing to take down Satan… well, it seems Heaven is fed up with his failures."

"What do you mean?"

"He's falling from Grace," Urushihara said, completely ignoring Raphael's cries of agony, "in a few moments, he'll have lost his divine authority. He'll have been locked out of Heaven… he'll become a fallen angel, cast down to the Earth in disgrace."

Everyone looked at Urushihara. He was quite aware of their incredulous stares, but he kept his face blank. He remembered his own falling, it was a terrible sensation, and he wouldn't wish it on anybody… still, there was good news.

'Heaven's getting desperate, if they're willing to cast down an Archangel for a simple failure,' the fallen angel thought to himself, 'perhaps this is a turning point.'

Maou fell to his knees. He wasn't sure if it was the exhaustion or the heavy guilt that had settled in his stomach, but he felt himself dragged to the ground as he watched Raphael suffer.

"I did this," he asked quietly. Maou never wanted to hurt Raphael. He'd been trying to avoid that by remaining on the defensive. And now, because of his poor judgement and his irrational thinking, Maou had gone and made an angel fall. Not just any angel, either, but Raphael, the angel of love and healing, one of the great Archangels from the Bible.

"You didn't know this would happen," Lucifer said, "and ultimately, it was Heaven's decision. Demon magic should affect an angel like celestial force does us. This isn't your fault, Maou."

The pure white color seemed to drain from Raphael's wings, leaving them black and shiny, like those of a raven. His short, normally brown hair faded to white for a moment before becoming purple. The irises of his eyes, which were once a lusty pink, now darkened, becoming a deep, royal purple.

The screaming stopped. The falling was complete. Raphael lay on the ground, panting as he stared up into the beautiful blue sky. Normally, there was a sense of security that came with being an angel. He knew that he was in the right. Heaven's Will was pure and absolute. There was a warm Holy Fire that had always burned in his chest. All of that was gone, replaced by an intense and crippling sense of loneliness. He felt small in an extraordinarily huge world. The gates Heaven had been closed to him. He was alone, afraid, and aimless.

Tears fell from the corners of his eyes. He could see people around him: the Devil and his allies. Not knowing what else to do, Raphael covered his face. His enemies could torture him, or even kill him, but they'd never witness his humiliating weakness.

"Get up."

Raphael heard the voice. It was familiar, and it made him uncover his face. Bending down over him, looking rather displeased, was Lucifer.

"Why should I," Raphael asked thickly.

"Because if you don't, I'll kick you until you do."

The newly fallen angel groaned and sat up, but he didn't look at anyone. Emi made to walk forward, perhaps to comfort the former Archangel, but Urushihara threw out an arm to stop her.

"Finish it," Raphael muttered, "take my life, Satan. You've beaten me."

"I'm sorry," Maou said, his voice warbling as he held back his emotions, "I'm sorry, Raphael."

The words stung him, but Raphael felt the anger ebb away as quickly as it built. On one hand, he wanted to storm at the Devil and destroy him utterly… on the other hand, he felt like it wouldn't matter. Nothing did. Not anymore.

"I-I think I'll just…go," Raphael murmured.

He stood, swaying on the spot for a moment before he held his head. Everything was different, but nothing had changed except him. Why did the sun seem to burn when he looked at it? Why did nothing he looked at bring him the same joys it once had?

"You're not going anywhere," Urushihara said, "first things first, you have to get oriented."

"To what?"

"Everything," Lucifer said, his lilac eyes flashing brightly, "if I'm not mistaken, you're probably thinking about how empty and alone you feel. You sense how insignificant you are, am I right?"

"Everything is insignificant," Raphael growled as he glared at Urushihara and rubbed his temples.

Urushihara smirked, which only made Raphael more bitter.

"Yeah, I know how it goes, but let me tell you something," the shorter man said, stepping right up to the hulking fallen angel, "first off, now that you're Fallen, you can regenerate your magic via the suffering of others. You still have your powers, but they've changed slightly. I'd suggest you rest and recover after your falling. Take a week or so off work. Get some bed rest. And for the love of God, keep yourself distracted."

"For the love of God," Raphael said, pondering the absurdity of the statement. Clearly, there was no God. If there was, he would certainly not be a loving, compassionate being.

"It's just an expression. You might want to pick up a hobby, though. Existentialism is probably gonna kick your ass," Urushihara noted sagely.

"How did you get over your fall from Grace," Raphael asked. "How did you cope?"

"I chose to fall from Grace. I knew I wanted things to change. I knew that I'd have to be the one to set things in motion. I coped with it by imagining myself tearing down Heaven. Brick by holy brick."

Raphael felt no urge to do so. All he wanted to do was... curl up and cease to exist. He didn't';t say that, though.

"I'll think on your words," he sighed, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his long beige trench coat and sauntering out of the park.

Maou and the others watched him go. They watched him start to walk one way, then change his mind and go the other.

"Oh boy," Urushihara said, "this isn't gonna end well."

"I can't believe this," Maou muttered, "how could they do something like that? He was a good guy!"

"Say what you will about demons," Ashiya said, crossing his arms and looking stern, "but we've never done anything quite so barbaric."

"Not personally, anyway," Maou said quickly as three glares from Alberto, Emerada and Emi were shot in his direction.

"We have to put a stop to all of this," Emi said quietly, "but how?"

No one spoke. No one had any answers. Finally, Maou got back to his feet, bolstered by the intense agony and sorrow radiating from Raphael. Without even meaning too, Maou had absorbed it and turned it into power. He stood, feeling both better and worse than before.

"He plans on taking his own life," Maou said in an undertone to Urushihara.

The fallen angel didn't look surprised in the slightest. He tutted and leaned in closer to Maou.

"No duh, moron."

"I want you to go after him. When he falls asleep, you're going to take away his pain," Maou ordered.

Urushihara scowled. "That's not a good idea,"

"Why not?"

"Because after I fell, the pain and anger and sadness were all that kept me going. Without them, I would've just sat down and waited for death," Lucifer explained. "His pain will bring him through."

"If it doesn't destroy him first," Maou remarked.

* * *

The argument continued well past the time everyone had returned to the water park. Rika, Suzuno, and Chiho were all relaxing at the poolside, with large sunglasses and parasols, almost as if they were actualy at the beach.

"Hey, you're back!"

Chiho's excited cry died in her throat when she saw how downtrodden everyone looked. It was as if they were all in attendance of a funeral… but everyone was accounted for.

"What has happened," Suzuno asked curtly.

Maou wet his lips, hung his head, and told them what had happened. He made no efforts to hide his own part in Raphael's fall from grace. At the end of it all, Rika, Suzuno, and Chiho all packed up, and as one, the group made their way to Rika's suite.

Maou took a seat on the couch, crossing his arms and staring at the floor, his face an inscrutable mask as his thoughts spun themselves in circles.

"Maou, what are you gonna do," Emi asked.

"There's nothing I can do…" he replied, still preoccupied.

What could he do? Maou had no way to restore a fallen angel. There was no magical way to fix this. He'd met Lucifer long ago, shortly after he'd fallen from grace, but Maou had no idea how to reassure someone who'd just lost everything, and had no intentions of going on.

"Urushihara, can't you talk to Raphael," Chiho asked.

The fallen angel sighed, having only just sat down with his laptop. He peered at Chiho from over the top of it, hitting her with his best 'I'm-not-doing-jack' glare.

"If anyone can help Raphael at this time… it's you, Morningstar," Suzuno supplied kindly.

The Demon General Lucifer exhaled through his nose, but his expression already looked a little softer. With the strange sinking feeling that he associated with chores and needless tasks, he looked around the room. All eyes were on him… except for Maou's. He was still watching the floor, his mind churning behind his scarlet eyes.

"I'll see if I can't give him a few pointers," Urushihara said, feeling a bit awkward now that he was at the center of attention.

"I'll join you," Suzuno chimed in, placing a warm hand on Urushihara's shoulder. "For support."

The sky was wrapped in purplish twilight when Suzuno and Urushihara took their leave. Everyone else just spoke quietly as they waited to drift off to sleep. No one thought about how they would be working the next day. No one seemed to care, least of all Maou.

Emi woke later that night, the only sounds being the gentle snores and snoozes of the people around her. Alberto and Emerada were curled up on the couch. Rika and Ashiya were lying on the bed, their fingers only inches apart.

'They must have fallen asleep holding hands,' Emi thought tiredly. Somehow, the thought made her smile. Rika's happiness was well deserved, after what she'd endured.

A faint sniffle caught Emi's ear. She peered through the darkness and saw that the front door was cracked open, just enough so that one could slip through it without too much noise. Another sniffle came through the crack, and Emi heard someone muttering quietly.

She looked around. Chiho was slumbering peacefully on the floor to her right. Aside from Urushihara and Suzuno, both of whom were accounted for, Maou was nowhere to be seen. Emi stood up and crept for the door. She opened it ever so slightly, and looked through the crack.

The hallway was lit, and sitting on the floor, his face streaked with lines of tears come and gone, was the Devil. His nose was runny. His eyes were red and puffy. His hair was a mess, and he looked as though he hadn't slept in a century. On one hand, Emi could turn around and go back to bed. She could let the terror of Ente Isla come to terms with what he'd done, and hopefully learn to forgive himself.

On the other, he'd always helped her, even when it seemed to go against his interests.

Emi opened the door, and Maou's eyes snapped to her, wide and alert, before he turned away.

"What's up, Emi?"

He picked at the carpet, but he kept his gaze turned downward. His voice was a flat monotone. The look of anguish he'd worn moment ago was well hidden behind a mask of wavering blankness.

"You ok, Maou?" Emi asked, stepping out into the hallway and taking a seat next to her nemesis.

"Peachy."

He did not meet her startling emerald gaze.

"Maou, there's no way you caused all that," Emi said. "Angels fall because Heaven wills it. Not even the Devil has the strength to do that. This isn't your fault."

"So how do we end this?"

"Huh?"

Maou turned his head to face Emi. For a moment, something passed between them, but Maou hardened his heart this his feelings for her. His expression soured.

"Raphael didn't deserve to fall," he said, "you know how kind and thoughtful he is. How do we put a stop to all this, Emi?"

"To what?"

"The fighting! The battles! The attacks! How do we stop Heaven?"

"I don't know that we can," Emi admitted.

Maou shook his head and mumbled, "I never wanted to hurt people. I wanted peace, and I told myself that the only way to do it was subjugation. Now I try to live peacefully, and people still end up hurt."

Emi didn't know what to say. She pursed her lips and thought about it for a moment. Finally, she decided there was nothing she _could_ say. The Devil needed time to think. How was Emi supposed to tell him that she and all of the others would be there to help when the time came?

Emi threw her arms around Maou, and she felt him stiffen for a second. She gently squeezed him, and his shoulders relaxed once more.

"We're all here for you, Maou. Don't forget about us."

"How can I," he asked, "I'm worried one of you will be next. It's only a matter of before…"

He didn't say it, but Emi knew what he was talking about. Sooner or later, one wrong decision would cost them dearly. They were fighting a losing battle, and eventually, someone they cared about would end up dead because of it.

"We'll fight," Emi said, "we'll do it again and again. We'll fight until our fingers bleed and our bodies cry out for rest, because we've all… well, we've all sort of… become a-a family."

Emi blushed furiously. She laid her head on his shoulder so as to hide her embarrassment. Maou reached up and laid a hand on Emi's. It was cold and clammy, but he gripped her fingers tightly. A fire seemed to burn behind his eyes.

"You're right," he said quietly. "We're a family…"

Maou had seen it before: the look of a cornered wolf. He'd seen it on plenty of men, too. He saw that look of desperation on their faces, the look of men with something to fight for. Normally, these men, the ones who fought the hardest, were those with families. And now Maou could count himself amongst them: these men who fought and died for the ones they loved.

Maou and Emi stayed in that hallway for some time. In a more urban part of Tokyo, however, things were not going so well between Urushihara and Raphael.

* * *

"OUT," Raphael roared.

Urushihara ducked under a table to avoid the plate Raphael had chucked at him, which shattered against the wall.

"Not until you listen to me," Urushihara called back.

He peered over the edge of the table to find that Raphael had lifted his entire couch over his head, which was an incredible feat for both the Archangel, and the rather cramped apartment.

"GRAAAAGH!"

With a cry like that of a psychotic maniac, Raphael threw the couch. Urushihara raised a hand, and purple energy glittered at his fingertips before a small, kimono wearing figure appeared in the direct line of fire.

With one swing of Suzuno's hammer, she struck it right in the middle. The couch's frame snapped in two, and it collapsed on either side of the Inquisitor, who was staring down Raphael with an angry glare.

They both watched, waiting for each other to make the first move while Urushihara cowered behind the table. From under Suzuno's sandals came a dull pounding noise.

 _Thud, thud, thud._

"Keep it down up there," someone hollered through the floor.

Suzuno blushed. She hadn't considered the fact that Raphael had neighbors.

"Fine," the fallen angel hissed, "stay. Have a seat on my couch… oh wait, you just destroyed it!"

He looked like his own bitter joke stung him, and Raphael turned and lumbered away into his living room.

The walls of his apartment were faded and stale-looking. The floor was made of hardwood that bore scrapes and gouge marks. The furniture he owned was cheap, and more often than not, stained with unpleasant and unknown fluids. Raphael himself didn't look much better than his apartment. He had ditched his beige trench coat. He now only wore his normal black slacks and an untucked white button up shirt. He'd pushed his sleeves to his elbows, revealing muscular forearms. His close-cropped violet hair was a mess that stuck up at odd angles. His eyes were bloodshot and wide.

Slowly, Urushihara and Suzuno advanced through the grungy apartment, only to find Raphael sitting in an armchair chair in front of the television. In one hand, he held the remote. In the other, he held a glass of wine. The scent of alcohol was strong in the air.

Without looking at the intruders, Raphael put the glass to his lips, drinking slowly at first, and then quaffing more deeply with each passing second until his glass was empty.

"What do you want," Raphael asked so quietly Urushihara almost didn't hear the question.

"I want to know what you plan on doing now," Lucifer said.

Raphael scoffed, but his anger quickly faded, replaced once more by an aching emptiness that tore at his being. "Nothing," he said tiredly. "I'm going to sit here and wait."

"For what?"

Raphael didn't answer. Instead, he picked a bottle up off of the floor and refilled his wine glass. His hands shook so hard, he spilled more than what landed in his glass, but he simply set the bottle back down and continued to drink, paying no mind to the mess.

"I'll get some paper towels," Suzuno said quietly.

Her hammer was gone. Her hair had been put back into the usual side ponytail. Her eyes were filled with pity and sadness as she quickly awayed herself to the kitchen. She returned as fast as she'd gone, and slowly approached Raphael. She knelt to clean up the spilled wine when he cast an eye upon her. His lilac eyes were dark and dim.

"Leave it," he grumbled, "it makes no difference. Not anymore."

Suzuno stood and planted her hands on her hips. Her face was red with anger, and she shook ever so slightly.

"You were an Archangel! How can you be so…so hopeless?!"

"Hope is for those foolish enough to believe in such things," Raphael sighed, not taking his gaze from the television. "I've lost everything I've ever known… all that I've held dear."

"Just because you fell from Grace doesn't mean you're a bad person! And just because you've lost everything doesn't mean you are beyond redemption," asserted Suzuno, looking outraged.

"You speak such kind words… but it is already too late."

His words seemed to leave an eerie chill in the air. Suzuno's eyes widened with realization.

"What-what have you done, Raphael? What have you done?!"

She lunged forward and seized him by his collar, shaking him as the flap of large, unearthly wings beat against the window.

 _Thud. Thud. Thud._

Raphael did not meet Suzuno's fierce gaze. She scowled at him for a moment before letting him fall back into his armchair and plucking the hair clip from her head once more.

"We've got company, Lucifer!"

That was when all hell broke loose in the angel's small, dingy apartment. The window shattered, sending shards of glass in every direction. The lights flickered. The curtains, slashed as they were by the bits of glass, flapped violently in the gusts of wind that came through. Urushihara dove back into the kitchen to avoid the glass. He heard the sound of light footsteps. Suzuno cried out in pain, and after a few more moments, he heard something had made his heart drop through his stomach.

It was the sound of a heavy weapon cleaving the air, and sliding home into someone's flesh. Before Urushihara could think past his mind-numbing fear, a cold, snide voice said, "Come on out, Lightbringer. I know you're there. You've nothing to fear from me, you can't fall from Grace twice, you know."

Urushihara set his face to one of bored disdain, and rounded the corner leading out into Raphael's living room. Suzuno was on the floor, her hair clip in her hands. A trickle of blood ran from her temple. She was alive, which made Urushihara breathe a sigh of relief, but then he saw who it was that had spoken.

Sariel stood to on side of Raphael's tattered secondhand armchair. In his hands he held a scythe, the blade of which was embedded in Raphael's chest, and pierced clear through the back of chair. The tip was fed a steady drip of blood that pooled on the floor. The small, snarky angel smirked at Urushihara, who balled his fists.

"Ooh, are you angry? Did I kill your fallen angel buddy? Was it nice to have company for a whole three hours? Did it make you feel a bit better about yourself?"

Sariel giggled as his words hit Lucifer like punches. All the while, Raphael shook, staring quite blankly at the curved scythe blade that kept him pinned to his chair. Blood ran from his lips as sweat beaded his brow.

"Why did you do this," Urushihara asked quietly, doing his best to suppress his rage. "Why would you kill Raphael?"

"I'm just following orders, but I could sense his self-loathing from mile away. He wanted this more than I did, isn't that right," Sariel asked through gritted teeth, jerking the hilt of the scythe and causing Raphael to groan and gargle through the blood in his throat.

"Besides, he was just an Angel of Love and Healing. The guy was a total wuss. Heaven has been looking to get rid of him for a while. We need soldiers, not lovers."

Sariel sneered at Raphael, but it seemed the fallen angel could only sit and stare off into nothingness. Tears built up in the corners of his eyes and then fell, like silvery, pearlescent droplets of sadness.

Urushihara felt his mind go blank. It wasn't unpleasant, but he knew exactly what was causing it. Rising from within the depths of his being, like a bubbling black geyser of loathing and abhorrence, was something Urushihara hadn't felt in ages… not since he himself had fallen from Grace.

It was his hatred of authority. It was his detestation of people like Sariel, who took sick pleasure in following orders, no matter what they were. Raphael had been a friend. He had been kind, and caring. He didn't deserve to die. But Urushihara knew who did, and it seemed it was up to him to dish out justice.

"You disgusting little man," Lucifer muttered to Sariel, "you make me sick to my stomach! Your blind obedience has caused enough devastation to warrant your immediate destruction!"

Urushihara's eyes burned with a fierce violet glow. The wind picked up, as though he were summoning a breeze form outside and condensing it around himself.

"This can't be good," Sariel murmured, pulling his scythe free with a violent wrench and a spurt of red.

It was far too late, however. Urushihara felt the same sense of harsh justice grip him that he had when he'd fallen from Grace. It was people like Sariel that made the world- no, that _made both_ worlds bad places. It was numb, unfeeling sociopaths like Sariel that deserved to be killed, not people like Raphael.

Urushihara held out a hand, and within it grew a dark, curved katana. It was his trophy, a reminder of Bernael and his insatiable lust for power, and his ability to bring out the worst in anyone. Just holding it increased Urushihara's power and anger a hundredfold. The black blade flickered to life with violet flashes of energy that arced along the blade like lightning. Urushihara's eyes began to darken at the corners, as if an ink stain were slowly working across them. It wouldn't be long before he was corrupted by the sword… but he didn't need much time. Just enough to slice Sariel into itty bitty pieces.

"It's too bad you didn't take a leaf out of Raphael's book and just roll over," Sariel jeered, spinning his scythe so fast it blurred, "because now I'm gonna have to kill you the hard way."

"Bring it, douchebag," Urushihara growled.

Suzuno felt as though she'd been kicked in the head by a horse. Her brain throbbed painfully as she lifted her head from the floor. Her recent memories were fuzzy and vague for a moment before they returned with the force of a tidal wave. They washed over her in droves, and focused in time to see Urushihara unleashing every ounce of power he had, Bernael's sword in his hand as he faced down against the manager of the Hatagaya Station Sentucky Fried Chicken restaurant.

The white-winged angel leapt forward, his wings carrying him almost faster than the eye could follow. He struck with an overhanded blow, and enough strength to slice an SUV in two. Quicker than thought, Urushihara raised Bernael's sword and blocked the attack. He made no sign of struggle as Sariel pushed against his guard. The only movement was the darkness spreading across the whites of his eyes, and the deepening of look of disdain etched into his face.

"You're a lot stronger than I thought...did Satan give you a little extra juice?" Sariel queried.

"This is all me, asshole. I'm about to show you how I got booted out of Heaven!"

Purple lightning crackled along the blade of Urushihara's sword, making contact with Sariel's scythe and blasting the angel backward. He was thrown out the window, but his wings managed to catch his fall before he hit the ground. They pulled him back up, hovering even with the window. Lucifer drew more power from the blade, and his wings erupted from his back in a spiral of black feathers. They were enormous, almost too large for the cramped living room. With a single synchronized flap that sounded like a crack of thunder, Urushihara took to the sky and soared through the window, driving at Sariel like a javelin. He slashed, but Sariel had flown straight up, narrowly avoiding the gleaming blade. He took off higher into the night sky, and Urushihara gave chase.

Suzuno stood up carefully, holding onto the windowsill for support. Her hair fell in long aqua curtains around her face, but she tossed it all over her shoulders and pulled out her cellphone. She dialed a number, mumbled a tired greeting and a brief explanation of the situation, and then shut her phone. The Hero would be on her way to the apartment shortly, no doubt with the Devil in tow.

A noise behind her made her turn around. It was Raphael, who was still stirring in his armchair. He was very weak, but still alive. His former angelic nature would make him harder to kill than a normal human, but he was on the brink. With a quiet apology, Suzuno turned away and looked out the window, where it had begun to rain. She wanted to help Raphael… but she knew he wouldn't let her.

"Do not…cry… for me," Raphael mumbled, his voice cracking as he spoke through immeasurable pain.

Suzuno wiped her tears on the sleeve of her kimono. She sniffled a little bit, and without another word, leapt off into the cold, wet rain, following the awesome trail of holy and demonic magic that the angels had left in their wake.

'I'm so sorry, Raphael,' Suzuno thought, 'but I have to help my Morningstar… Emi and Maou will be there soon.'

* * *

 **Just in time for Halloween, I present to you the latest chapter in this incredibly long, depressing story that was supposed to about two people falling in love. Turns out, the road is longer and bumpier than I thought. But that's life, right?**

 **Speaking of life, allow me to use it as an excuse for not updating this story in... well, in a long time. I've been busy. I've been coping with writer's block. I've been trying to figure out the meaning of life. Ok, maybe not so much the meaning of life, but it definitely had something to do with writer's block and working a shit ton. You may have noticed slight changes to my writing style, little experimentations here and there, and I've even tried to add line breaks so you know where there are scene changes.**

 **You can also tell that the story is heating up. Things are getting a bit more serious, and the ending of this story, while not right around the bend, is certainly approaching. It's just taking its time. Thank you to the people who reviewed my story. It still boggles me that people are finding it, even though it's almost two years old. I figured that by this point, it'd pretty much be a few more dedicated, bored, or drunk people. Still, if you read this story and liked it, I'm glad. I hope you like where it's taking us! I say taking us, cause I'm sort of along for the ride. Surprises around every turn for me, too.**

 **Without further ado, we get to our musical selection of the day. Sadly, I haven't found a whole buttload of music to share with you, so I've taken a look through my ipod and found a few songs that deal with fallen angels. Enjoy. Or don't. Not everyone has the same taste in music, and that's ok. (Unless you like those new pop stations that play the same ten songs on repeat. Then we can't be friends.)**

 **!MUSIC!**

 **Coming in at number one, and the titular song for this chapter iiiiiiis:**

 **Angels Fall-Breaking Benjamin**

 **And then we have a few more older songs. Sorry if any are doubles from previous chapters.**

 **Evil Angel-Breaking Benjamin**

 **Fallen Angel-Three Days Grace**

 **Fallen Angels-Black Veil Brides**

 **Angel-Theory of a Deadman**

 **And now, for something a little different from the theme of angels...**

 **If You Want Love-NF**

 **Hallelujah-Pentatonix**

 **That's all I've got. L8r broskis.**


	28. The Devil and the Hero: My Morningstar

Knock, knock, knock.

"Raphael? Raphael are you there? Stand back!"

The muffled voice behind the door was interrupted by a burst of holy magic. Emi and Maou appeared, both looking tired and more than a little on edge. The apartment was dark, but through the kitchen, in the living room, they could hear the television going, and could see the refracting light.

"Raphael," Emi called.

There was no response. They'd received a phone call from Suzuno not half an hour ago, telling them both that Raphael had been critically wounded by Sariel, and that Urushihara had gone after him. Suzuno, however, was nowhere to be seen.

Emi held her sword out in front of her, her arm close to her chest, ready to lash out with Better Half in a moment's notice, should anything fling itself from the dark corners of the apartment. Maou watched her flank as they tiptoed through the apartment, but nothing could've prepared the pair for the scene that awaited them.

The television was playing an old documentary. Black and white images of soldiers marching across battlefields played silently, but that wasn't what floored the Devil and the Hero.

"Who…. Is….it?"

A weak, tired voice spoke from a chair that was soaked in blood. The air tasted of iron, and red streaks lined the walls, as though the strike had been a great and terrible one. Blood pooled around the armchair, and sitting in it, looking frightfully pale as blood dried to his lips, was Raphael.

He was barely breathing. The light behind his eyes flickered like faulty light bulbs. Slowly, he turned to regard Emi and Maou. Maou put a hand to his mouth, while Emi visibly paled.

"The Hero… and… the Devil," Raphael muttered.

"Raphael? You're… how are you still alive," Maou asked.

Emi elbowed him, and gave him a meaningful stare, like 'don't ask him why he's still alive, moron.'

"You two… have no… small… part… in that."

The fallen angel smiled a humorless grin, which was rather frightening, given the blood that stained his teeth. He swallowed past the pain and continued.

"Love still… empowers me. _Your_ love."

His eyes flickered between the both of them. Emi and Maou turned to regard each other, both wearing carefully crafted masks, like those of poker players.

"I could feel… something… ever since… the museum," Raphael explained, slouching in his armchair to spare himself the energy of having to sit up properly. "Love… burns… within you both. It has allowed… me to speak… with you."

He shuddered, drawing in a hoarse breath before he coughed. Blood poured from his wound in rivulets of scarlet, but he faced Maou and Emi once more.

"You two… are enemies… yet you both found…love… in…each other. Strange-urgh-though it may be…you are the…the epitome of… my divine…authority. May your-your love-uuuggh- may it bring… peace… to a world… that needs it."

"Let me heal you," Emi said, her face red as she bent down to heal Raphael's wound. The archangel caught her hand in a strong grip. Their eyes met, and something passed between them.

"I am not…long…for this…world."

"But Emi can heal you! I can too! You can't just give up!"

"Demon… King... you have…fallen hard… from your throne. H-Heaven wishes… you dead. But I would ask… I would ask… a favor….ease my passing-hurgh-please."

The angel's voice was small. Even in death, it seemed he was embarrassed to ask for a demon's help, but Maou couldn't believe it. A few hours prior, Maou had blamed himself so vehemently for causing Raphael's fall that he thought there would be no reconciliation. Now, Raphael was in his death throes… and he wanted Maou's help.

"I-yeah. I can…I can do that for you," Maou said, his eyes growing watery as he took Emi's place by Raphael's side and knelt.

The Devil took the angel's hand and closed his eyes. Using his power, he could feel Raphael's emotions. All of them were hazy and vague, but surrounding them all, like a building waiting to fall, was an icy chill Maou recognized as death. It was approaching leisurely, but with each moment, it threatened to overtake the archangel.

"I'll take it all," Maou said sternly, "I won't let you suffer in your final moments… it's the least I can do for a-a friend."

"Friends," Raphael asked, "with the Devil?"

"There are worse friends to have," Emi laughed through her tears, trying to smile.

Maou focused. He stripped away the physical pain first, and Raphael immediately felt better. Then he tore away the mental anguish of the last few hours. He took the countless battles and wars. He took centuries of servitude and questionable orders. Finally, all that was left was one scene that seemed to calm Raphael more than any other.

He was laying on his back on a hill of beautiful wildflowers. A strong breeze rushed by him, swaying the tall grass, and pushing low clouds through the pristine blue sky. The day was sunny and warm. There was a blissful sense of peace, as though all was right in the world. It was an old memory, one that Raphael had almost forgotten. Tears formed in his eyes as the scene in his head played out.

Next to him, dressing in white robes similar to his own, was a beautiful woman. He could barely remember her name, but her white hair and violet eyes pulled him in. He rolled over and kissed her, savoring everything about that moment.

Raphael's chin dropped onto his chest. His body lost all movement, and in his final thoughts, the angel said a prayer for the Devil who'd helped him in his final moments, and gave him the peace he'd longed for since the war had begun.

Maou felt tears form in his eyes. He was so sick of crying it wasn't even funny, but it didn't stem their flow. All he could do was bow his head so that the Hero couldn't see his sorrow. She knelt behind Maou, who was still clutching Raphael's hand, and she wrapped her arms around his chest, crying into his back. Maou didn't mind, even though the hot tears soaked through his shirt and burned into his skin. It was always better to cry when someone you cared about was close by. For the Demon King, that person was the Hero. For the Hero, that person was the Demon King.

"He was happy, you know," Emi mumbled into Maou's back, "I saw him. He-he smiled. Right before he…."

Her tears quickened, and soon she was sobbing into Maou's shoulder blades. For all his power and magic, Maou was no better. He simply knelt on the floor, crying like an invalid. The only thing keeping him tethered to that apartment being the arms of the Hero, without which he felt he might've fallen, literally, into the depths of despair.

* * *

"SARIEEEEL!"

Lucifer's shout broke the night as he sped through the skies. His great black wings beat against the ebony cloak of night as he soared through dark storm clouds that coursed with lightning and thunder.

"How long are you going to keep that up," Sariel asked, "it won't be long before that sword destroys you!"

Sariel looked behind him, only to see arcs of violet energy flicker. A purple bolt of lightning flashed in his direction, but he dodged it easily, gliding along on large white wings.

A volley of magical bullets followed. Sariel was forced to turn around and fly backward as he spun his scythe. The sound of magic ricocheting off of metal keened through the howling winds as Urushihara gave chase.

"Nice try, Lightbringer! What else you got?"

That was when a glowing golden circlet arced up from below and nailed Sariel in the jaw with the force of a fierce uppercut, stopping him dead in his tracks.

The circlet, seemingly unaffected by the angel in its path, circled around and fell from the sky once more with a whimsical glint of gold. Below the angels, for as far as the eye could see, was churning black water. On the skyline, faint light could be seen from where Japan sat, but otherwise, they might've been lost.

"Argh! What the hell was that," Sariel moaned.

He was cut off when lightning flashed, and he saw exactly who it was. The Inquisitor, Crestia Bell, had been following Sariel and Urushihara. She had thrown the circlet, which was Urushihara's halo, from the seat of a jetski, which she maneuvered through tidal waves with unassuming skill. Her kimono was pulled up to her knees to allow her to ride the jetski easier. As for how she'd acquired the transportation, much less steered it through the stormy black ocean without capsizing, it was probably better left unconsidered.

"Crestia Bell. Not so quick to give up, eh?"

Sariel closed one eye and held up a thumb and forefinger at a ninety degree angle, moving it slightly as though he were about to take a picture. He thought he saw the glint of the fuel tank's cap. He grinned.

"Buh-bye."

A beam of concentrated holy magic fired from his pupil and shot at the jetski. Suzuno, who saw the attack, leapt from the watercraft and threw the halo once more before falling back towards the ocean. Below her, the jetski exploded, but not before she heard the sound of Sariel crying out from being hit with the halo.

"Son of a BITCH," he howled, holding his manhood.

Suzuno was not a strong swimmer. It was with that bemused thought that she smiled, and fell into the rocking waves. She felt oppressing darkness. It brought back terrible memories of Bernael and his power, but she swam as hard as she could, in the direction she thought was up. No matter how hard she kicked, however, she did not break the surface.

Her lungs cried out for oxygen. Her arms and legs worked more furiously than ever, but still, she found no release from the water. Slowly, her strength left her. Her body's natural fear and panic had been used up in her attempts to free herself. She fell deeper into the dark, cold water, her hand outstretched towards the surface. All that was left now was the cool, black embrace of something that had nothing to do with the water surrounding her. Her vision blurred, not that it really mattered, as she could barely see, anyway.

A glowing light appeared before Suzuno. She smiled. Death wasn't so bad. She would surely be going to Heaven, as that golden glow wasn't the burning of hellfire…

Suzuno reached out, only to find the golden glow was… the halo. She'd been about to accept her own death, and here it turned out to be a glowing ring that was absolutely no help to her. She grabbed hold of it, thinking that if Urushihara found her body, he could at least get his halo back.

She felt a tug, and when she focused, she realized she was shooting upward. The halo was pulling her out of the water, towards the surface.

"WAAAAAAAAH," she shrieked as she broke the surf, narrowly avoiding getting sliced by a long, black katana.

She clutched the halo for dear life, as it was the only thing keeping her suspended over the water. Next to her, looking surprised, was Urushihara, who had levelled his sword at her.

"I thought you were Sariel ambushing me," he said lamely.

"DO I LOOK LIKE SOME CREEPY ARCHANGEL," Suzuno hollered.

"Is that… my halo?"

"Yes," Suzuno huffed, "and it very nearly let me drown!"

"Well, if you like, you can fly with me," Urushihara said, holding out a hand.

Suzuno turned red in the face before she said, "No! I'll just hang onto this ring. If it can keep me over the water, maybe it will allow me to fly."

"Suit yourself," Urushihara sighed. With a flap of his wings, he was gone, rocketing off into the sky after Sariel.

"Ok… uh, halo? Could we follow them," Suzuno asked.

Nothing happened for a moment. She sighed, but then the halo glimmered, and it shot off into the sky as well, carrying Suzuno along like a sack of potatoes.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" She screamed as she went, loud enough to wake the dead. With difficulty, she reached up and gripped the ring with both hands, as the initial takeoff had very nearly thrown her back to the fishes.

"Slow down, slow down slowdownslowdooooooowwwwn!"

But the halo kept going. The holy magic it radiated was phenomenal, like that of the Morningstar before he fell from Grace. With the power contained in the halo, it was a wonder he ever chose to fall….

Suzuno found herself flying neck and neck with Urushihara, whose eyes were very nearly covered in black, save his glowing violet irises, which burned with unholy light.

"Hanging in there?"

"This is no time for your puns, Urushihara," Suzuno squeaked, trying to steady herself as the halo pulled her across the skies at breakneck speeds.

Below them, a dot appeared on the horizon, a dark bump, like the back of some great sea monster rising over the water.

"What's that," Suzuno wondered.

"Hashima Island," Urushihara said over the wind in their ears, "we've flown a long way."

The Island was square and blocky. From a distance, it almost looked like a battleship on the water. The only giveaway that it wasn't a ship was that it was made of stone, and it had no wake as the waves crashed against its battlements.

"Have you been here before," Suzuno asked.

"No. I just researched abandoned places in hopes of finding something that might help up get back home. The island was a mining operation, but when the mines were emptied, the island was abandoned," Urushihara told her.

He looked her in the eyes, and Suzuno decided she could no longer ignore the whites of his eyes, which were now pitch black, like polished obsidian.

"Morningstar… your eyes are black."

"I'm sorta running on borrowed power here, sweetheart. I don't have enough to fend off Sariel by myself. This sword, however, had all of Bernael's magic power," Lucifer explained.

"Don't call me sweetheart!"

"Then don't call me Morningstar."

Suzuno and Urushihara touched down in a large square, littered with crumbling walls and broken architecture. Weeds poked up through the wreckage that cluttered the pathways. Ivy clutched the sides of every run-down building and made navigation even more difficult. The only sound was that of the water, beating relentlessly against the island. Standing amidst the abandoned, ruined remains of a ghost town made Suzuno feel watched, and more than a little jumpy. She could practically feel the water as it crashed against the walls, threatening to engulf the island whole, and sweep away the entire place.

"Be careful," Urushihara hissed, "Sariel could be anywhere."

Suzuno shivered. She glanced around in a wide arc, but all that she saw were great, tall buildings, likely once apartments of some sort. From each dark, empty window, she thought she could barely make out the face of someone staring down at her. Almost involuntarily, she gripped Urushihara's arm.

The fallen angel stared for a moment, his expression unreadable before he simply nodded and resumed his watch. He kept his eyes to the sky, where he was sure Sariel would strike from. He felt Suzuno's fingers dig into his arm, and it quickly went numb. Taking her hand in his, he gave her a berating look before resuming his vigil once more.

Suzuno let the halo hang from her wrist like a large, gaudy bangle. Almost as if responding to that thought, it shrunk. Soon, the halo was a glowing golden bracelet. With her freed hand, she took down her sideways ponytail and let her hair fall free. Her hair clip took on its true form: that of an enormous war hammer, and together, Crestia Bell and Lucifer stood side by side on a cold, dark island, awaiting the first signs of holy light to come shooting down from the heavens.

If only they were so lucky.

Something in Suzuno's peripheral vision stirred and drew her eye, but again, all she saw were empty, dilapidated windows with no glass panes. She heaved a sigh and turned away a moment too late. A beam of bright violet light jutted from the darkness of a window. It very nearly stuck Suzuno before the beam was deflected off of the edge of Urushihara's sword.

"Come out and face us like an Archangel, you coward," Urushihara shouted. He cleaved at the air, and an inferno of roaring black fire devoured the apartment that Sariel had attacked from. The black flames mixed with orange as natural fires spread. The only answer to Urushihara's challenge was the crackling of flames, and then, from on the other side of the square, another focused beam of holy energy lanced downward.

Urushihara pushed Suzuno, who fell to the ground. As she fell, she saw the light strike Urushihara, and he was thrown backward. The katana spun out of his hand, and he hit the ground with a sickening crunch.

"You see? This is why you fell from Heaven. You thought you were so much better than everyone cause mommy was the Queen, you forgot that you were getting along on family laurels. You forgot that everything you had could be ripped away… just…like… that," Sariel quipped, snapping his fingers for emphasis.

The archangel emerged from the black doorway of the building, striding along confidently. He smirked as he saw Lucifer, broken against the rubble and ruin.

"And now look at you. You've got nothing… you're only ally is a traitorous Inquisitor with hardly any magic. Maybe I should play with her a little… make you both squirm for me. I saw you guys holding hands, so I assume you're together? Say something!"

There was no answer. Urushihara didn't even lift his head from the broken bits of concrete he rested it upon. If he recalled correctly, there was a reason he had researched the island… something he believed would give the demons magic… but what was it?

Sariel raised his scythe, angered by his inability to draw a rise out of the fallen angel. "I'll just kill you quickly, then," he sneered. He swung his scythe. It lanced down towards Urushihara, the moonlight glinting evilly off of the blade as it came.

Lucifer rolled to the right. He felt the blade sink into the pile of rubble next to him, but he quickly grasped the hilt of the scythe, and allowed his demon magic to sink into it. Within moments, the holy silver used to craft the weapon turned into sludge that boiled and frothed.

"What the hell?! That was a priceless artifact! My only weapon! My badge of office! How dare you destroy it," Sariel cried hysterically, trying and failing to cup the holy silver in his hands as tears flowed from his eyes. But when he turned to look at Urushihara, he found the fallen angel had gone. As had the Inquisitor. He glanced around, only to see Urushihara running as fast as he could for the center of the island, which was more heavily populated in its heyday, and as such, was more maze-like.

"Get back here!"

Urushihara ignored the cries of the Archangel behind him as he ran flat out through the walkways of the ghost town. He passed old, rotting shops, deteriorating apartment buildings and countless identical squares filling with heaps of rubble… but he found nothing that looked like a stairway.

He skidded to a halt and peeked back around a corner he'd just passed. Behind him, he could hear the flap of angel wings, and shouts of indignance. For the moment, Suzuno had been forgotten by the depraved archangel. With luck, Urushihara would make him forget all about her now that he'd found it-the Stairway to Hell.

It was a great, long staircase that was cut from the very stone of the island, and it zigzagged through apartment complexes, bathhouses and numerous other diverging walkways. Urushihara had read about it before. Apparently, hiking the staircase to the top was supposed to bring on a hellish sensation in ones legs. Running up the steps full throttle would only get the job done more quickly, if there was any magic to be had.

"WHERE'D YOU GO, LIGHTBRINGER!"

Urushihara shrugged, and, taking the steps two at a time, he began his ascent. He went nonstop, only ever pausing when he found more than one path. He took whichever one continually sloped upward. After a couple minutes, his legs were aflame, and sweat dotted his brow.

"Oh, where'd you run off to, Lucy?!"

The shouts seemed to echo from above. It seemed Sariel had flown higher to scope the island and find his adversary. With any luck, there would be some sort of payout for Urushihara once he'd climbed the Stairway to Hell. Otherwise, he'd have no magic, sore legs, and an angry angel to contend with.

When Urushihara finally reached the top, he felt like his knees were jello. His legs were more sore than they had ever been, and he had a stich in his side that made him want to curl up in his closet and cry.

Lucifer waited. His head swam unpleasantly as he waited for his breathing to become normal. In front of him was some sort of shrine. He was high up now, so high up that he could see the sea from all sides.

"Found you," Sariel shouted gleefully.

He fell upon Urushihara, but the fallen angel rolled for all he was worth, barely able to do much more. His legs and arms seemed to have given way. Sariel landed, and his wings folded up and vanished. He casually strolled up to Urushihara, as if he were simply going for a pleasant walk through a park.

"Well now, I'm glad you've finally come to your senses… wait, no, never mind. You're just out of power. Geez, what happened to the great and powerful Lucifer, Commander of Heaven's Legions?"

"He got tired of people like you," Urushihara spat, shooting a venomous glare at Sariel.

"Too mean… not that it matters. You'll die, here and now. Once I'm done with you, I'll find your master, Satan, and his whore-excuse me-Hero. I'll destroy them both, and Heaven will restore me to my former glory. Who knows… maybe I'll have your job, I'm certainly due a promotion," Sariel smirked. He kicked Urushihara in the stomach, causing the fallen angel to roll over onto his back. In a single movement, the archangel knelt, and wrapped a hand around Urushihara's throat.

Lucifer felt his perception of the world slip away. His anger seemed to have drained him almost as much as his run up the Stairway to Hell. Stars danced before his eyes, and he quickly lost his ability to see. It seemed his research into the island had been a dead end. No one would arrive in time to save him now.

But in the darkness that staunched his vision, Urushihara felt something he couldn't see. There was something nearby, something which seemed to radiate negative human emotion. It wasn't the katana, but the power was comparable, as if people had been pouring their frustrations into it for years.

Desperate for air, his body reacted of its own accord. One moment, Urushihara was being strangled while Sariel grinned madly. He could practically taste his own victory when suddenly violet light burst forth from Urushihara, radiating off of him in a shielding aura that pushed the angel back. Sariel cried out and leapt out of range, clutching the wrist of his hand, which was burnt and steaming.

"What the hell…"

"Can't you feel it? The anxiety? The fear of the unknown," Urushihara asked quietly, pushing himself up from the ground. He rubbed his throat, which was still red and raw. He coughed, and blood stained his hand, but he absently wiped it on his shirt. His ire burned through his purple irises as power soaked into him from seemingly nowhere.

"Where are you getting this power? Nothing on this island is tied to demons or devils! There is no one here!"

"No, there aren't… but there were. Thousands of coal miners and their families used to come here, to the top of the Stairway to Hell. There was a temple here, before the island was abandoned. Every day, people came here to pray for their loved ones. They came here filled with sadness and anger and despair. They left feeling better, because that shrine behind you absorbed all their negative emotions. It left them feeling hopeful. Say what you will, humans seem to have a certain grasp of the supernatural that we can't even comprehend. Either that, or they're just really, really stupid."

"Probably the stupidity," Sariel sighed, glaring at Urushihara.

"No argument here," Urushihara said.

They stared each other down, the tension in the air building with each passing second. Just when it seemed as though violence would break out once more, a faint, metallic ringing echoed through the air.

"That seems familiar… I wonder-OW," Sariel shouted, falling to the ground and rubbing the back of his head, which had been struck by a flying golden ring.

The ring was caught by Suzuno, who leapt up onto the plateau from out of nowhere.

"Morningstar!"

She threw a katana at Urushihara. He extended a hand and caught it without looking. Without Suzuno and the sword, Sariel might have had a fighting shot. Now, however...

"Aw, c'mon! That's not fair! I almost killed you both!"

"Sorry," Urushihara said, "but almost only counts with hand grenades and holy swords… you know what, sometimes not even holy swords, I mean, I survived. Hurt like hell, though."

Sariel charged, weaponless. Partway across, he took off, his wings snapping open as he took to the skies. His way was quickly blocked by Suzuno, who beat him over the head with her war hammer, sending him back towards Lucifer.

Sariel expected to get blown away by an inferno of demon magic, or perhaps humiliated by the fallen angel before being taken captive. What he didn't expect was to fall onto the blade of the pitch black katana.

The sword slid home with mundane finality unbefitting an archangel. Urushihara held Sariel up, impaled as he was upon the sword, which had run him through his midsection.

Sariel looked on in disbelief as he slid down to the hilt of the sword. No magic radiated from Urushihara or the sword. No nothing.

"Light…bringer," Sariel hissed, his eyes wide and his teeth bared.

Blood dripped, falling onto Urushihara's face. He twitched, but he kept his eyes trained on Sariel's, watching as the light slowly faded.

"That was for Raphael," Urushihara murmured.

With no regard for Sariel's corpse, Urushihara put a foot against the archangel's chest and kicked. The body slid off of the blade with the grotesque sound of bone scraping against metal. It soared almost fifteen feet, clear over the edge, and down into the black sea, which seemed to have calmed some. In the east, towards the mainland, a light seemed to be making headway against the darkness of the night.

Urushihara walked to the edge, bit all he saw were distant ripples far below in the water. A warm hand enfolded his own, and Suzuno appeared at his side. He was so numb it took a moment for him to notice her.

"Come away," Suzuno said, "let's go home, Morningstar."

"Why do you call me that," Urushihara asked, his eyes still fixated upon the gentle waves beating against Hashima Island.

"Because, whether or not you acknowledge it, you are an inspiration. My Morningstar, to guide me through the night, and see me safely into the morning."

Through the abject numbness that seemed to grip him, Lucifer felt touched by Suzuno's sentiment. He cleaned the blade of Bernael's sword on his shorts before quickly sweeping Suzuno off her feet, spreading his wings, and shooting off into the night sky. Suzuno wrapped her arms around his neck, and as one they flew off to meet the dawn of another day.

* * *

Even though it was early Monday morning, and they had to wake up later for work, Emi and Maou begrudgingly rose from their lump of blankets on the floor to sip on coffee and listen to Suzuno and Urushihara. The tale they unraveled was one of daring heroism, magical clashes, angels in combat and an abandoned island.

"After I killed Sariel, I brought us back here," Urushihara yawned.

His hand was cupping his chin, and he looked ready to pass out. He usually looked a little pale and tired, due to his insomnia and lack of sunlight. Now he looked downright sick, as if he'd gotten a cold from being out at sea.

Everyone stared absently at the table, occasionally sipping from their coffee mugs. No one had really cared for Sariel. Chiho, in particular, seemed to have held a bit of a grudge against him. Still, that didn't stop her from looking shaken by his death.

"I don't get it, guys," she asked sadly, "why does everyone want you dead? Why can't they just… leave us all alone?"

The high schooler sniffed and rubbed her nose on the sleeve of her pajamas. Suzuno gingerly threw a sore, tired arm around her shoulders, but tears came unbidden to Chiho.

It was sadder than a funeral. It definitely didn't help that Monday meant going back to the daily grind, and so, shortly after breakfast, everyone began to pack up, clean, and clear out of Rika's suite. Maou, Urushihara, and Suzuno made their way to Sasazuka. Emi took the train to her condominium in Eifuku, intending to get a few more hours of sleep before her shift. Emerada and Alberto vanished through a gate, not bothering to follow Emi back to her house.

A distinct feeling of sadness and regret seemed to follow everyone as they parted ways for the week. Sure, they'd avenged Raphael, and they'd slain his murderer, but it still felt like prolonging the inevitable. Escalation was on the horizon, and it was hurtling at them like a asteroid aimed at Earth from on high.

Uneasy thoughts stirred violently in everyone's mind, like those of paranoia sufferers. Without even meaning too, they'd agreed to meet up next weekend for discuss their ongoing battles and plan for the future. This resulted in yet another long week all around.

* * *

"Maaa, you're burning those fries," Kisaki noted dryly.

With a yelp, Maou quickly pulled the fries from the deep fryer. He had been so preoccupied with his thoughts that he hadn't noticed he was ruining someone's lunch.

The lunch rush was never a good time to get distracted. Everyone was running about the kitchen like chickens with their heads cut off, but there was a certain order to it all. As a team, they managed to dole out fast food in record time. So why was Maou not able to get into the flow?

It was because he could still feel Emi's arms as they tightened about his chest. He could still feel her tears against his shoulder. In short, he'd found himself lost in that moment, when he and Emi had been forced to watch as an angel died.

"Sorry, Ma'am," Maou said quickly, fixing a confident smile onto his face, "I'll redo this batch as quickly as possible!"

Without regarding her own safety, Kisaki plucked a freshly made French fry from the basket and chewed it slowly before shaking her head.

"They're a little crispy, but still edible. Make another batch right away and mix them together, got it?"

"Yes ma'am!"

* * *

Emi's day was going even worse. Every time she found herself caught up in Raphael's dark apartment, her boss, Mitsude, would stomp down her row and breathe down her neck. If Emi didn't need the money so badly, she'd have broken his jaw and filed a restraining order against the creep.

"Is there something wrong with your ears," Mitsude asked, his face turning red with anger.

"Uh… no."

"Then why aren't you answering calls, Yusa? I don't pay you to relax in these nice chairs all day, I pay you to provide quality customer service! Get to it!"

The balding man with the pencil mustache tromped away in a huff, leaving Emi to groan tiredly and put her nose to the grindstone once more.

As she spoke to customers, she couldn't help but wonder, in the back of her mind, what was going to happen next. Raphael's body had been left in his apartment to be discovered by the Japanese Police, but that still begged the question-what came next? How could they prevent such catastrophes from happening in the future?

Her mind flashed back to the night they'd watched Raphael die. Emi and Maou had stayed in that little, dark apartment for hours, long after the angel himself had faded. They'd sobbed quietly, together but separate, their roles forgotten as they fell into the depths of despair.

"Yusa! Work!"

Emi's eyebrow twitched, but she answered another call, and did her best to ignore the swarm of thoughts buzzing in her head like angry bees.

"Hi, I'm Emi Yusa, thanks for calling Docodemo Customer Service Center! How can I help you today?"

"Hello, Emilia, dear."

The sound of her own name caused Emi's eyes to widen. The voice was one she'd heard before, one she thought she'd never hear again. Was she dreaming? Was this some sort of crazy trick?

There was only one way to find out.

"Dad," Emi asked quietly.

"Yes, Emilia, it's me. I'm speaking to you through an Idea Link, and using the wireless telephone signals to strengthen the link. I'm not quite as adept in magic as I'd like to be, but your mother is working with me to-"

From the other end of the line, Emi could hear someone talking-a woman-speaking in an undertone. She couldn't quite make out the words.

"Yes, dear, I'll ask her. Emilia, my darling daughter, your mother and I would like to meet you, face to face. There's so much you need to know, so much I have to tell you! When is your next day off work?"

Her father sounded as though he was trying to speak quickly and quietly, like he might be discovered. It sent a shiver down her spine to hear her father speak like that. Whatever happened to the kind, sweet, simple farmer, who always spoke words of hopefulness and joy?

"Um… I have this Friday off. D-dad, where are you? Is mom with you?"

"She's-uh-she doesn't want me to answer that-she's shaking her head at me-OUCH! I mean, no, darling, she's not here, but she'll meet with you as well. I'll see you Friday, at the Villa Rosa. Tell the Devil to expect us, and that we mean neither him, nor you, any harm. We bring a weapon to aid you in your fight against Heaven!"

"Wait, dad, there are things I want to know-"

"Friday, dear! I'll speak with you on Friday! I love you! Stay strong until then, we'll see you soon."

The line cut out, and Emi was left with tears in the corners of her eyes as she stared at the computer screen. The little box where the customer's phone number was displayed read as 'unknown' so there was no way to call back. Friday was only five days away, but why did Emi feel so frustrated? She could wait that long, right?

"Yusa, get back to work! Now!"

"Shut the hell up, you repugnant creep! I quit," Emi shouted, her eyes still watery, though now they shone through with an angry fire.

"I-I-you can't just-I mean," Mistude stammered, his eyes wide as Emi fumed, her fists balled as she fought the urge to sink her knuckles into her boss' pudgy pink face.

"I'm going home! Have fun taking making quota without me! And have fun training in new staff!"

With that, Emi marched off for the locker room, leaving her co-workers too stunned to speak as she brushed the tears from her eyes and ripped the headset from her head.

* * *

A knock interrupted Urushihara's thoughts as he looked up from his computer. He didn't even need to use his powers to sense who was on the other side.

"Come on in, Bell, it's unlocked."

Suzuno entered the room and kicked off her sandals. The room was about the same as ever. It looked strangely empty, compared to her own well furnished apartment right next door. The only real piece of furniture was the table, at which Urushihara sat, crossed legged as he scrolled through some website or another.

"Morningstar."

"Inquisitor."

Suzuno smiled, taking a seat next to the fallen angel. Urushihara had never been an advocate of people hovering over his shoulder while he browsed the internet, but with Suzuno, he found that he didn't mind quite so much. Her presence was worth the lack of privacy.

"What do you want?"

It was odd how quickly Urushihara had reverted back to his normal, uncaring self. One day, he was spouting judicial philosophies and divine one liners. The next, he was back to his usual self, leaning on one arm as he scrolled through and demolished Maou's budget with his other hand. Studying him more closely, Suzuno could see the little discrepancies. He was still dotted with bruises and odd injuries from battle. He looked paler than normal, or perhaps his hair and eyes were just a darker shade of violet.

His power was phenomenal, after what he'd taken from the shrine on Hashima Island, and the sword of Bernael. It made it difficult for Suzuno to draw breath-or, at least, that's what she assumed to be the cause of her breathlessness. It certainly wasn't Lucifer's roguish charm, or anything like that.

Nope. Definitely not.

"I wanted you to have this," Suzuno mumbled, pulling a box from within the sleeve of her kimono.

It was a bento box, no doubt containing a feast which would hold Urushihara over until Maou had a chance to go shopping and stock the fridge. Sitting atop the box, glowing spectacularly in the gloomy apartment, was Urushihara's halo.

"I don't want that," the fallen angel said, "I'll take the grub, though."

With a wave of his hand, Urushihara caused the eating utensil drawer to open of its own accord, and a fork shot through the air like a missile. He caught it, opened the bento box with magic, and began to dig in like a starving homeless vagrant.

"Haven't eaten since yesterday… I needed some food," he said thickly.

Suzuno, while disgusted by Urushihara's table manners, couldn't help but be glad he enjoyed her cooking. Of all her skills, she was glad she had one that didn't focus on bloodshed and espionage.

"Urushihara," Suzuno asked.

"Hmm?"

"Are you… feeling alright? After having killed an angel, I mean…"

"Never better, now that I've got a full belly," he replied smugly, placing the empty bento box in front of Suzuno.

The inquisitor frowned and asked, "So you have no regrets? No uncertainty?"

"It was him or us, and I wasn't about to let him hurt you," Urushihara sighed nonchalantly, once more focused upon the screen of his computer, though he didn't scroll or click through any pages.

Suzuno felt an electric shock flow through her. Something carnal seized her, and she wanted to take the fallen angel into her arms right then and there.

"So, you've found something… a friend to fight for?"

Suzuno placed her hand on Urushihara's, and he stared at it for a second. She laced her fingers through his and his face turned red before he looked away pointedly.

"Uh-yeah… something like that," he replied.

Suzuno turned Urushihara's face with her hand and their eyes met. Suzuno's were narrowed, and closing as their faces grew even closer. Urushihara couldn't seem to calm himself-he'd just eaten. His palms were sweaty. He hadn't combed his hair. Hell, he hadn't visited the bath house in at least a day-

His racing heartbeat and petrified thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Suzuno' phone ringing. Before she could answer it, Urushihara had seized it from her and flipped it open.

"Hello? Oh, it's you," he said, his voice high pitched and cracking, "yeah, it's Urushihara. No, I'm not giving Suzuno trouble. She's right here."

Urushihara held out the cellphone, his face sweltering as he cleared his throat.

"It's for you," he said lamely, "sounds like Emi is having a rough day."

Suzuno, crestfallen at her failed attempt to kiss the fallen angel, took her cellphone out into the hall and spoke quickly. From the sound of the conversation, something major had happened, and Suzuno was working on calming the Hero down.

As soon as Suzuno came back in, the mood was far less tender and amorous. She looked troubled as she closed her flip phone and slipped it into the sleeve of her kimono.

"It seems there is another angel on the way… Emilia's mother and father will be joining us on Friday. They say they have a weapon that could turn things around for us."

Suzuno sounded underwhelmed, as though she were already preparing for the worst. Urushihara couldn't blame her, what with all that had happened. It seemed a life out of Heaven's reach was simply too much to ask.

Urushihara wanted to lay a hand on Suzuno's shoulder. He longed to tell her that everything would be alright, and that things would all work out in the end, but he couldn't' lie. The truth was, everyone from Ente Isla who currently resided in Japan was stuck between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, if they went back, they'd be thrust right back into a world they'd grown further and further away from over the last two years. But if they stayed, they'd be inviting more and more trouble, and with limited ways to gather magic power, they would end up on the losing side.

All this and more coursed through his mind in the matter of a moment, but when he returned to reality, Suzuno's eyes were once more focused upon him, and she wore a smirk in place of her hopeless frown.

"Now, where were we," she asked slyly, leaning in inappropriately close to Lucifer, and taking joy in the red that touched his cheeks as he leaned away from her and stammered incoherencies.

"Uh-doom, Ente Isla…angels-um…Hero-mmph," his ranting were cut off by a pair of soft lips pressing against his own.

Suzuno pulled away from the contact, sounding as though she'd surfaced from underwater.

"Dammit," she scowled, "I was hoping it was your demon magic taking my breath away."

"And was it," Urushihara asked dazedly.

"Not at all."

Suzuno tackled the fallen angel and pinned him to the ground using her hips. For all his demonic power, it seemed he was utterly defenseless before her.

"I-we-not a good idea-people-"

"No one will be around for hours, my sweetest Morningstar," Suzuno whispered into her captive's ear, "now then…what say we pick up where we left off…"

"Crazy thought-what if we just held hands, huh? Sound like a plan?"

The hungry look in Suzuno's eyes unnerved Urushihara, who giggled weakly. He had the distinct feeling that he was about to get eaten alive.

"Well, you said we're alright so long as we didn't break any of Heaven's decrees, right? I'm assuming they're rather vague and limited to things like conceiving a child."

"Uh-um-well, you see-"

"Jackpot," Suzuno muttered, her eyes gleaming.

* * *

"That bastard Mitsude," Rika exclaimed.

Emi had just been telling Rika the story of her quitting her job, and walking out on Mitsude and his creepy demeanor. Rika, who was an excellent listener, knew exactly when she was supposed to commiserate. She managed to harmonize with Emi's outrage and abhorrence of their boss very well, even though moments before Emi had walked into the room, she and Ashiya had been laying on the bed together, watching a reality show on the television.

Ashiya was still watching the show, though he claimed to dislike them, and find them meaningless. After Emi had entered the apartment, he'd taken up the chair at Rika's bedside while Emi and Rika laid on the bed and complained loudly. Emi's story took a bit of a turn, however, when she told Rika about her mom and dad contacting her.

"Isn't your mom an angel?"

"Yeah. Apparently, my mom and dad are together. They're visiting on Friday, and I guess they want to meet at the Devil's Castle."

"Is that because you're over there so often," Rika asked, wiggling her eyebrows and elbowing Emi in the ribs.

"No! They specifically mentioned the Devil. I shudder to think why they'd be interested in him, but… they say that have something… a weapon to help us against Heaven."

"Could it be another holy sword or something," Rika asked.

"I don't think so," Emi said, "Better Half is powerful, but I'm not sure its enough to take on Heaven. Whatever they have is probably something insane. It'd have to be," Emi murmured, lost in thought for a moment.

On her way home from Rika's suite, Emi's plight seemed to hit her harder than the train she was riding in. She was out of a job-a good job. Her quality of life would decline. Her savings account would be run dry in about a month. She had to start looking for a new job as soon as possible.

When she finally arrived home, she was met with the mess left by both the Devil and her comrades from Ente Isla. With each room she walked into, she couldn't help but think of Maou, and their vulnerability in Raphael's apartment.

When she sat on the couch, she thought about how they'd spent so much time together in the last week. For a mere seven days they had proven, to some extent, that they could live in harmony. If they could do so, then it would seem like a cinch for everyone else to get along. Sadly, it wasn't quite so simple. And come Friday, her parents would arrive.

It seemed that Emi's 'peaceful' life was about to come to a screeching standstill. She sighed as she laid back and watched TV, wishing, for a moment, that she had Maou there with her, if only so that she didn't have to feel quite so alone.

* * *

 **Woohoo! Finally cranked this sucker out. I noticed the views on this story jumped yesterday... almost as if you were expecting a Halloween update. It seems I've become predictable. Anyhow, here's enough spookiness and blood and emotional stuff to get you through the day. Or maybe not. You do you, but this chapter wore me out. I tried to make myself cry writing the sad scenes, and I almost managed it, so here's hoping it's a tear jerker for you guys. Either that, or I'm just a little more sensitive lately. Hmm. All well, Happy Halloween! Stay safe! Don't get spooped by a Mr. Skeletal, or he'll doot-doot you right into the Skeleton War.**

 **MUSIC!**

 **Halo-Starset (because... you know... the halo? BTW, Suzuno's use of the halo was supposed to be a nod to Xena and her... throwing circles? Cookies for you if you got that reference)**

 **4U-Blackbear (Renzyx Remix)**

 **Somewhere Over the Rainbow-Joseph William Morgan ft. Shadow Royale (definitely a repeat)**

 **The Last of the Real Ones-Fall Out Boy (catchy)**

 **Also, the band RED has put out a new album called GONE. So look it up. Seriously. Do it. The titular track is good, but also look for 'Still Alive' and 'Losing Control'.**

 **Thanks for reading. Hope you've enjoyed the thrill ride thus far. Please forgive any major errors. It's almost 7am, and I need to get some shut eye. See you nerds later. (I can say this, I'm a nerd, myself.)**


	29. The Devil and the Hero: Parents

War drains people. It steals their strength, saps their wills, and if left unchecked, it can steal everything that makes a person human. As such, you'd think demons would be impervious to its effects, like cockroaches are impervious to atomic blasts. That was not the case for Maou, who, after work each day, came home to find the lights off and Urushihara over at Suzuno's.

Perhaps it was better that way, because as soon as Maou walked into his apartment and stared into its dull, greying walls, he found that tears came to him easily. It was not the mark of his weakness, it was a sign of his being strong for far too long, though he found that he could hold the tears at bay now. He'd learned to stop them from leaking, and he could steady his breathing as well, but he found his eyes constantly producing tears. It made him ashamed to no end. A demon, crying? And for what? A dead angel or two? Unrequited love? Unpaid bills?

The answer, though he hated to admit it, was a simple, unequivocal 'yes'. Maou was crying for all those reasons and a thousand more. There was the constant dread that gnawed at his belly worse than any hunger. There was the icy numb feeling that came with his attempt to distance himself from the reality of it all.

He'd never been one for feeling… or perhaps he had. Perhaps his feelings were what drove him to become the King of his people. Maybe it was his emotions that drove him to create a new world, just for the creatures under his banner. Now, however, it seemed his emotions had run wild and rampant. He found himself turned upon by the very things that had once made him strong, and in his sadness, he couldn't help but smile at pointlessness of it all.

None of it really mattered. What was death when you dealt with it on a regular basis? And fear? It was something the Demon King lived with, rather like a silent, foreboding roommate. The only difference between his fear and the Demon General Alciel was that Satan's General would occasionally make tea and say a few words. Fear had nothing to say to the Devil, nor did it have the common decency to put on a pot of tea.

* * *

It was Friday, after an extremely long shift when Maou came home to his empty apartment once again. The work week was done. He'd had no contact with any of his comrades all week, save a few jumbled words from Urushihara when the NEET came home at all hours of the morning. Now, however, Urushihara was slumped at the kitchen table. His eyes were open, but barely. He seemed to have nodded off, and his face was pressed against the keyboard of the laptop.

"Wake up," Maou commanded, "you get to make me dinner."

Urushihara jolted upright, wiping drool from the corner of his mouth.

"Wazzat?"

"Food. Make us dinner."

"I'll order some pizza," Urushihara supplied.

He looked at the keyboard and his fingers flew like pale spiders as he typed in the wed address of the local Geronimo's. He looked up and his brow knit. He tried again, staring intently at the screen this time.

"What the hell is-GAH!"

Urushihara withdrew his hands from the laptop, which sparked violently before the screen flashed. He gripped his numb hand, staring indignantly at the computer.

"It shocked me," he complained loudly.

"Can't say I blame it," Maou sighed, shaking his head as he made for the bathroom.

When he finally rememgered, Maou found Urushihara beating the laptop keyboard with the pommel of a long black katana, cursing with each strike.

"I drooled on the keyboard and now it won't work!"

"I'm not buying a new computer," Maou griped, "I can't afford a new one right now."

"You don't have to. I just need a mouse and a keyboard to plug into the laptop. I think."

Maou's eye twitched. He noted that the apartment was exactly the same as it had been when he'd left. It seemed Urushihara had not seen his list of chores that needed taking care of. Either that, or he'd simply elected not to do them.

"Have you done _anything_ today," Maou asked.

"Are you kidding me? I've been busy all day! I only just got back from Suzuno's!"

"You're kidding! What the hell are you two doing over there?! I was gone for almost sixteen hours! Nothing could possibly take that long," Maou shouted.

"We-just-shut up, man! It's none of your business!"

Urushihara's face flushed with color. For the first time in living memory, Maou had managed to get his most lazy General's undivided attention. But how had he done it? Lucifer was sweating nervously. He wouldn't meet his leigelord's eye, and he looked petrified, as though at risk of being discovered for whatever reason.

"What…exactly… are you doing over at Suzuno's," Maou asked again, leaning down over the kitchen table and peering at Urushihara with glowing scarlet eyes.

"I-we-I don't think-"

"That much is apparent," Maou whispered, "because any rational being would know better than to try and lie to the Devil."

The violet eyes and the red eyes met for a moment. A thump was heard from the room next door, and in a moment of weakness, Urushihara broke eye contact.

"Oh, what am I thinking," Maou grinned, "I'll just go ask Suzuno about it!"

"Wha-NO! Don't go over there! She'll kill me!"

"Then tell me what you two were doing all day!"

"I can't," Urushihara cried, looking pained by his constrictions.

Maou tutted and said with a disturbing smile,"Such a shame. I'll miss you when you're gone, but you know what they say: 'the truth will out.'"

Urushihara followed Maou out of room 202 and down the hall to 201, wherein Suzuno lived. The entire while, the fallen angel begged Maou not to bother the Inquisitor.

"She's-she won't be happy," he muttered, dragging at Maou's shirt as the Devil pulled them both along the corridor.

"That's alright," Maou said, wondering why Urushihara was trying so hard to stop him from seeing Suzuno.

Maou managed to get them both to the door of Suzuno's apartment, and he was quickly set upon by Urushihara, who did his best to restrain the Devil and prevent him from knocking. Lucifer threw his arms beneath Maou's and then locked his hands behind Maou's head, instigating a rather impromptu full nelson. The two of them stumbled backward, away from the door.

In the end it was futile.

Maou simply vanished and reappeared outside of Urushihara's reach in a wisp of black vapor, and before the fallen angel could stop him, he had knocked on the door.

All movement inside the apartment ceased, and quick, quiet steps approached the door, followed by one of the strangest sounds Maou had ever heard.

"Morningstar, is that you," Suzuno crooned quietly, opening her front door, "has the Devil finally gone…too…bed…"

Suzuno's froze as she found herself face to face with the Devil. She was wearing her seduction kimono once more, and Maou was rather off-put by its revealing nature. He clapped his hands to his eyes, followed quickly by Urushihara, who threw himself over Maou's shoulders to cover the Demon King's eyes with his own hands as well. Suzuno's ire grew like a brewing storm.

"...Demon King… how much did you see," Suzuno asked quietly, her hand already inching towards her hair clip.

"I-I saw…"

Maou heard a muttering in his ear.

"Lie," Urushihara hissed.

Maou could do no such thing, however.

"I saw everything!"

Suzuno shook her head, her face cloaked in darkness as she muttered, "It seems Heaven's Will had one thing right… Satan Jacob must die!"

Maou pulled at Urushihara's hands, but it was far too late. By the time he'd pried them away from his eyes, the blunt end of Suzuno's hammer was looming over him like a black cloud. Maou uttered a quiet apology in the moment before the hammer struck, and then-

Thud, the Demon King hit the floor.

"That should handle him… though it won't erase him memories," Suzuno said.

Urushihara cowered before Suzuno, whose hammer was still out, and clenched tightly in her hands. Her knuckles shone white with the intensity of her grip, and her face was still shrouded and unreadable.

"Uh-well, I'm just gonna…go back to my closet," Urushihara mumbled.

Before he could leave, Suzuno had appeared over him, looking murderous, her hammer raised.

"You're not going anywhere, Morningstar."

The last thing Urushihara saw was an evil glint in the Inquisitor's eye, and the large, broad head of her hammer, bearing down on him faster than a bullet.

* * *

When Urushihara woke, he realized he had a headache. The next thing he surmised was that very little time had passed since Suzuno had knocked him unconscious-a few minutes at most, but it was enough for her to tie him to a chair.

He was in her apartment. Suzuno was nowhere to be seen, but the smell of delicious food wafted through the air. He was sitting back to back with someone else who was also bound to a chair. Urushihara craned his neck to find that it was Maou. He was still out cold, though someone had placed a cold compress to his swollen brow.

The lamp that Suzuno had kept at her bedside was placed on the table right next to Urushihara, and was shining right into his eyes, as if he were being interrogated. The illusion was ruined by his ability to see his surroundings, his familiarity with Suzuno's apartment, and the wonderful scent of her cooking.

"I send you back just in time to meet the Devil. I come up with a brilliant cover story for our quality time… and still you can't manage to keep him off our trail," snipped a bitter voice.

Suzuno slid the dressing screen out of her way and stepped into the main body of the room. She had taken it from around her bed and placed it between the living area and the kitchen. Whether or not it was for dramatic effect puzzled Urushihara for a moment before the cold stare of the Inquisitor stifled his smirk.

"Your brilliant cover story? You mean that wishy-washy crap about me and you plotting to usurp his throne," Urushihara asked, rolling his eyes.

"It's easier to believe than what we actually _were_ doing in here," Suzuno waved her ladle threateningly at Urushihara.

For some reason, she still hadn't changed out of her seduction kimono. Urushihara didn't particularly mind. Maou, on the other hand….

"Oh Holy Hell! Suzuno, would you put some clothes on? You're so pale I thought I was looking at a ghost for a second," the Devil jibed. The smack of a ladle striking flesh echoed off the walls. Urushihara turned in time to see Maou lick the soup from the side of his face. The cold compress on his head fell to the floor.

"This is actually pretty good," Maou said quietly, smacking his lips, "it's almost as delectable as the two of you getting all freaky when I'm at work."

Judging from damning silence that permeated Suzuno's apartment, Maou figured he'd hit the nail on the head. He struggled against his bonds for a moment before frowning at the Inquisitor.

"Why did you tie me up," he asked.

"Because I-that is- _we_ can't afford to have this get out. Emilia… Ashiya… Chiho… none of them would understand," Suzuno shook her head.

"None of them would understand? Please! Chiho's had a crush on me for ages! Ashiya has a thing with Rika, and Emi… well, actually, yeah, you should probably keep it from Emi," Maou decided. As he spoke, he used his magic to burn away the ropes binding him before standing and stretching leisurely. Suzuno already had her hammer back out and was swinging it at Maou, but he raised a hand and caught it, smirking as Suzuno's brow perspired.

"Relax. I'm not gonna tell anyone. It's doesn't make much difference to me, anyway, and you two are no good to me dead, which is what you'll be if Emi gets wind of this. Maybe you should just try not to be so careless from now on."

Maou stepped out from under Suzuno's hammer before letting his arm fall, and he quickly pushed past her in his bid for freedom. He hadn't bathed, and the bathhouses would be closing soon.

"Oh, and for what it's worth, you two are a cute couple," Maou added, closing the door behind him with a snap.

For some reason, Suzuno felt even less sure about her romance with Urushihara than she had before. She was so entrenched in her own thoughts that Urushihara had to clear his throat to get her attention.

"I'm still tied up," he reminded her.

Suzuno stared, her face growing redder and her smile growing more and more depraved as Urushihara prayed to whatever god might swoop down and save him from her insatiable needs.

"Good, you can stay that way for a little while longer," Suzuno said sweetly putting away her hammer, but leaving her hair down all the same.

* * *

The next morning dawned cold and bright over Tokyo, and the clean, crisp scent of winter was apparent. The small lawn outside the Villa Rosa was covered in a layer of frost, as were the building's windows. Maou had appealed to the landlady for a way to keep warm in a carefully drafted letter enclosed with his last rent payment, and as a result, all apartments had been supplied with expensive space heaters.

Maou was grateful for the day off, as he didn't want to have to start bundling up for his bike rides into work. He hadn't even taken the stored winter clothes in the closet to get washed yet. Urushihara was nowhere to be seen, and Maou could only assume he had died after last night's misadventure. Either that, or he had simply stayed at Suzuno's, but Maou didn't see Urushihara escaping her clutches with his life. Nonetheless, Maou needed the fallen angel's help to clean up the apartment in preparation for the get together he was hosting later.

Going over to Suzuno's door in nothing but his t-shirt and underwear was a bad idea, and the floors were cold and hard under his feet, but he knocked hurriedly, figuring someone would answer. No one did.

He knocked again, louder this time, but again, nothing.

Maou froze. A chill that had nothing to do with the weather gripped him. Flashes of dark images danced behind his eyes.

A blood splattered armchair framed against a television. A stark white figure taking rattling breaths as blood gushed from his mouth….

Maou put a hand to the door knob and found it unlocked. All at once, he felt as though his worst fears were realized. A good killer never made their presence known, and a really good killer always closed the door behind themselves.

'Don't think like that,' Maou thought, 'they're fine… they're fine. They're both alive… you're the one being targeted…'

He crept across Suzuno's kitchen and dining area, though for all his fears, he might've been creeping through Raphael's apartment all over again. He headed for the bed, which was once more obscured by the dressing blind.

Maou thought he heard breathing. He held his own breath as he laced his fingers around the blind and slowly pushed it aside.

No blood. No gore or carnage. Instead, Maou was met with a scene that he'd never have expected. Urushihara was laying on the bed, facing the door. He wore dark rings around his eyes, and his hair was matted and stuck up funny. He only wore his shorts, and he was curled up into a sort of fetal position. His face looked troubled, as though he were being plagued by terrible dreams. Suzuno lay behind him, her arms wrapped tightly about her Morningstar as she snuggled as close as she could to the fallen angel.

In that instant, Maou didn't see an Inquisitor and a Demon General. He saw two people who'd had long, sad lives, and who'd finally found comfort in each other. He saw two people who, when the world came crashing down, would lean on each other for support and build each other up, no matter what.

The Devil was more than just speechless. He was jealous. Maou almost considered telling Emi about the two of them, just so that the painful knot in his gut would be placated, but he resisted the urge.

It wasn't their fault that the only person the Devil had ever fallen for happened to be his arch nemesis. It also wasn't their fault that Emi didn't feel the same way about him.

Maou put everything back, slipped back out of the apartment, and closed the door with barely a creak before sneaking back into his own apartment. He sat right in front of the space heater, staring blankly at the wall, but for some reason, the heater didn't seem to want to warm the cockles of the Devil's heart.

Maou made breakfast and tea, but neither the warm food or hot beverage seemed to erase the chill from his person. Why did seeing everyone so happy and together make him so angry?

Maou knew why. It was because he'd given everything to become King. He figured that once Ente Isla was under his control, he might have time to search for a consort, if he so felt the need for one. But Ente Isla never bowed to him, and those four hundred years of work had been scrapped in his final battle with the Hero.

He'd sacrificed everything, including his love life, in order to bring the Demons into the future. Now, it seemed, fate mocked him. It dangled what he wanted before him, like a mouse before a python, but he would never partake. He couldn't, what with his obligations. Even without them, the Hero's own feelings were a minefield, just waiting to snap him up and destroy him. Her father was alive, but as the Hero, she bore the weight of the entire human populace on her shoulders. And that included their pain, and their desire for revenge.

'I guess the crown weighs heavy on both sides,' Maou said mentally, shaking his head.

He took a sip of his now luke-warm tea and looked around. It was still pretty early in the day, and the sun was bright and blinding as it shone through the window. Slowly, the frost began to melt away, and Maou felt the day grow warmer.

Soon, everyone would gather to discuss their respective weeks. They would come to his apartment, tired and brow-beaten, and they would try and fail to understand what was going on. They would suggest half-assed strategies and counter measures, and do their best to try and savor each other's company before-

A light knock on his door interrupted the stream of pessimistic thoughts in Maou's head.

"Maou?"

From outside the door, the Devil heard her: the Hero. Somehow, he'd been so entombed in his own head he hadn't noticed her presence, which positively glowed with celestial force.

"Door's open, Emi," he called, adjusting his expression to a more pleasant one.

She came in, and Maou felt his heart skip a beat. Emi was dressed casually in jeans and a yellow blouse. She also wore a denim coat to ward off the cold, a Docodemo beanie hat, and a pair of large, clunky winter boots.

Maou was more preoccupied with her red nose and cheeks, and her bright eyes and her smile. Even the messy bun she'd hidden under her beanie seemed beautiful.

PANG.

Like nails on a chalkboard within his heart, Maou felt his entire being throb with painful loneliness as he looked upon the Hero's splendor. She smiled at Maou, and he returned it numbly, wondering how he'd fallen for her all over again. Everything, from her scent to the way she spoke seemed to invigorate Maou's sadness.

"You ok, Maou? You look a little pale."

"Tired," Maou shrugged, "I just woke up."

"Where's the NEET?"

"Sleeping," Maou replied, omitting the fact that Urushihara was currently snuggling up with Suzuno.

PANG.

The sound of a thousand piano notes being played at once shot through him. There it was again, with no warning of any kind: he was alone. Dreadfully alone, and though the Hero wasn't even ten feet away, she might as well have been on another planet all together.

Emi carefully unlaced her boots, set them off to the side like any decent houseguest, and came over to the table. With no regard for manners, she quickly took the remainders of Maou's breakfast and began to help herself. She drank from his tea cup, ignoring the fact that the Devil's lips had already touched it. Apparently, the Hero was hungry, for Maou's plate had been cleaned in a matter of minutes.

"Uh… you want more?" Maou asked, "I have more eggs, you know."

"Yes please," Emi said, holding out her plate for Maou to take.

Satan took her plate and set to work on making new eggs and reheating the tea. He'd heard about Emi's job loss through the grapevine, but he hadn't seen her since last weekend. She looked…happy?

"I woke up pretty early, and I figured I wouldn't get back to sleep so I figured I'd just come by and wait for everyone else to get here," Emi explained.

Maou couldn't blame her. If what he'd heard was true, then Emi's mother and father, an archangel and a wheat farmer, respectively, would be arriving with some sort of weapon some time that day. If Maou had been about to meet his parents… well, sleep wouldn't come easily to him, either.

"How have you been," Maou asked casually, "I mean, since you quit your job?"

"Hmm." Emi considered the question carefully, mulling it over as Maou handed her a fresh cup of tea. For a tense moment, their fingers interlocked around the cup. Emi nearly forgot the question.

"I-erm-I have a lot more free time, now," she said lamely.

"No need to rub it in," Maou said, "I only got three hours of sleep last night."

"I got a solid sixteen," Emi muttered.

Maou poured a cup of tea for himself and drank it as he waited for Emi's second breakfast to cook. He couldn't help but wonder if Emi was hungry because she had no money for food. The thought made him uncomfortable.

"Well, what I meant to ask was how are… how are you financially?" Maou probed.

The topic of money was a bit of a challenge for Maou. He'd never had much of it, and he hated feeling inept because of his limited earning potential. Still, he wouldn't have traded his job for the world…actually, on second thought, the world would be an excellent trade, though he would always hold a special place in his heart for MgRonalds if such a deal were factual.

"I'm…uh…"

A shadow crossed Emi's face. It seemed that money was a touchy subject for the Hero, as well.

"I'm coping," she said finally, regaining her jovialness.

Maou didn't believe it for a second. In that moment that Emi's face had given way, her real feelings had shone through. She was scared, tired, and probably just as stressed as Maou had been. Perhaps even more so, considering she had no income at all.

"I wouldn't have any problem repaying the favor, Emi," Maou said lamely, setting her breakfast down in front of her, "You know, if it came to that."

"I don't think I'll get evicted," Emi said. Something in her voice told Maou she had doubts.

"Still, if things go bad, you're more than welcome to stay here. And I know it may not seem like the most ideal gig but Kisaki would probably let you skip right to being a full timer if I put in a good word for you."

"Me, a MgRonalds employee?" Emi asked, sounding amused.

Emi hadn't intended for her words to be so slanderous, but the thought of flipping burgers and wearing a cheesy smile all day just struck her as unappealing. Maou flushed, and covered his hurt feelings by taking a sip of scalding hot tea, which burnt his tongue.

"I know-" he coughed before thumping his chest and starting again.

"I know it doesn't sound like a good job, but I mean, if things don't work out… I'm sure they will, but if they don't… at the very least, you'll have a warm place to stay, and an income all your own until you can find another place and another job."

"That's awfully considerate for a Demon King to say."

Maou had never felt less royal. His human emotions were eating him alive, but Emi's smile, sly and sarcastic as it was, made Maou feel a little better.

"It's getting cold out," Maou said quickly, "and you let me live with you when I was down and out. I'm just returning the favor."

Emi took a sip of her tea, but Maou could see her blushing the color of her hair behind her cup.

Morning quickly gave way to afternoon. Slowly, Maou's apartment began to fill up, making him yearn for those sunny morning hours when it was just him and Emi. First came Ashiya and Rika, both of whom were looking well. Rika positively glowed in the brightness of the day. Next came Chiho, who had been preoccupied with an archery competition all morning.

Sometime after waking up, Urushihara had teleported from Suzuno's room to the closet, and he crawled out of his hidey hole to sip on some tea, as the assembled crowd had made sleep impossible. Last to arrive was Suzuno, who was in a better mood that anyone had ever seen her in. She smiled quite brightly upon entry, carrying a platter of snacks, sweets and treats.

Suzuno's eyes met Satan's, and in the literal blink of an eye, their arrangement seemed to pass between them. Maou's silence was assured, but Suzuno would owe the Devil a favor for the foreseeable future. With an imperceptible nod, Suzuno tore her eyes away from Maou and set the platter on the table for everyone to enjoy.

There were sliced apples, sweet rice balls, honeydew, and peanut butter dip. Everyone sat and quietly munched on something as they waited for someone to speak. As soon as they'd all gathered, things turned somber and quiet. The laughter was gone from their eyes, and no one smiled. Out in the world, it was required of them. They could never let anyone know of their struggles, so false smiles had become a necessity. In Maou's apartment however, it was as silent as the grave, and twice as somber.

This was a war meeting.

"M'lord, what happened to all the furniture you said you would buy?"

Check that, it _was_ a war meeting… right up until Ashiya had asked that rather insensitive question.

"It hasn't been delivered yet," Maou snipped.

"And is that a new space heater? My lord, creature comforts are fine and well, but our guests are sitting on the floor," Ashiya griped.

"That heater was purchased by the landlady, whom I reminded about winter. And as for _my_ guests, you are one of them until such a time as you decide to return here and take up your duties as the househusband," Maou said flatly.

"Of course, King Satan," Ashiya mumbled, bowing his head.

Before they could stop it, silence had fallen once again. No one seemed to have the courage to speak. What would they say? How would they begin the meeting? Maou was about to say something when he heard voices and quiet footsteps coming up the stairs.

"This is the Devil's Castle? The Villa Rosa?"

"Yes, dear."

"Hmm. I thought it would be a bit bigger."

The sound of the outside door opening was heard. Emi turned whiter than snow as she stared at the door.

"This is it, right?"

"What does the name on the door say?"

"Sadao Maou."

"That can't be right. Let's try the next one."

Emi rose, creeping towards the door as she listened to the voices. One was female and oddly familiar, as though remembered through a dream. The other one was deeper, male, and more soft spoken. It reminded the Hero of a small farmhouse, golden wheat fields, long red hair, and the warmest, kindest smile she'd ever known.

It was her father's voice, and it was quickly headed back towards room 202.

"The Devil is not a woman, this must be the right door," the female voice said matter-of-factly.

Two pairs of footsteps came to a stop. There was a brief pause, and Emi, in a state of panic, decided to fling open the door.

In front of her were two people who looked so normal and modern, Emi thought they might've gotten mixed up. The man was tall, and he wore a plain black suit and dress shoes. He had long red hair tied into a ponytail that fell down between his broad shoulders. He wore rectangular spectacles over greenish yellow eyes that seemed to brim with emotion as he stared at Emi. His goatee had been trimmed down a bit to appear more slim and modern.

He had high cheekbones and fair skin, but aside from the strangely stylish clothes, he was most definitely Emi's father.

"Dad," Emi said quietly, hardly daring to believe her eyes.

"Emi, you've grown so much," Nord smiled, "I have someone here who's been waiting to meet you."

The woman on Nord's side stepped forward. She wore a feathery white dress with a heavy fur-lined coat over it. Her hair was silvery white, and her eyes seemed to burn with a hearty scarlet. She seemed ageless, and could've been either twenty or two thousand. Her fair skin was flawless, and she smiled warmly at Emi.

"Emilia, I'm so glad we-"

Before Lailah could so much as greet her daughter, Emi felt something burst within her. Without even thinking, Emi had summoned Better Half and rested its tip against Lailah's collarbone. Nord looked concerned for a moment, but Lailah held out an arm to keep him away.

"Are you going to kill me, Emi?" Lailah wondered.

"No," Emi decided, her breaths shaky as she fought to regain her self-control. Her sword did not move from its position at Lailah's throat, however.

"Such a beautiful sword," Lailah muttered, her eyes flicking from the blade to Emi's face, "I can see it reflects its wielder, being both gorgeous and deadly… but what would you say if I could offer you power?"

"I have power," Emi said flatly.

"Not enough, if you want to protect your friends. You all grow weary, so much so that you and the Devil are now in cahoots, according to my sources," Lailah said innocently.

"Emilia, please, this is neither the time nor place for this," Nord said urgently.

Emi looked at her father, her green eyes wild and angry. How could he side with Emi's absentee mother?! She was about to say as much when Nord laid a gentle hand on Emi's shoulder. It was large and warm, and the way he squeezed her shoulder, so gently and lovingly, made Emi's hatred fall away as quickly as it had manifested.

"Come inside, then," Emi seceded, stepping aside to allow the guests to pass her by, "but remember that my allies are in a far less forgiving mood that I am. And something else you should know: the Devil is the host of this party, but even he won't stop me if I decide I don't like what you have to say."

Emi's hard stare met Lailah's determined gaze. Something passed between them, and after a moment, Lailah nodded and beckoned for Nord to lead the way into the apartment. The angel chanced another glance at her daughter, whose expression was stern and unmoving, and Lailah bowed her head and followed after Nord.

The six tatami apartment was already crowded, so having two adults enter the fray seemed a little ambitious. Everyone sat in a circle around the table, bumping shoulders and looking uncomfortable. Emi, of course, looked the most displeased, as she was sandwiched quite firmly between her parents, both of whom looked out of place in their fine clothes.

"My word, Emi, you have quite a few important friends," Lailah said, sweat beading her brow as she found all eyes on her.

One pair of eyes in particular seemed to focus upon her quite intensely. They were crimson, and belonged to the Devil, who looked at the archangel long after it would've been normally decent.

"Lailah," Maou said slowly.

The name seemed to jar the angel, and she turned to finally meet his gaze, looking somewhat fearful.

"Demon King Satan," Lailah said, bowing slightly to him, "you seem quite well, considering your… well, your human form."

"And you look just the same as ever," Maou mused, leaning forward, "and of course, nothing has changed. You're still the same secretive, flighty archangel you've always been."

Lailah gave a strangled smile, doing her best to ignore the stares.

"Hold on a minute, Maou, how do you know my mother," Emi asked, leaning forward so that she could see the Devil.

"She was the angel that rescued me," Maou muttered, "she taught me about humans and language and is the one who piqued my interest in Ente Isla."

Lailah closed her eyes, partly because she was embarrassed at being thrust into the spotlight again, and partially because she knew that Emi was watching her, probably with some horrified expression.

"You started all this," Emi asked, "you saved the Demon King? You caused all this… this fighting?"

"It was inevitable," Lailah said, "blood needed to be shed in order to usher in change. The Church and the angels they served were in disarray due to Satan's rise to power. Had I not acted, Ente Isla would be in even worse shape, with the angels lording over the humans like gods."

"That's not good enough for me-not by a longshot," Emi snarled, "I lost my childhood! I thought my father was dead! People from all over died during the war!"

"But that doesn't stop you from fighting side by side with the very person who ordered their deaths," Lailah said sharply.

Emi was stunned for a moment, and before she could say anything else, Nord cut in.

"Emilia, please, calm down," he said quietly, "we are here to help you. You and your friends are just one front in a war that has been raging in the shadows for millennia."

Nords words seemed to make everyone extraordinarily still and silent. They knew all about war, they had all fought in many battles… but how could it be that they were part of a bigger picture when they hadn't even seen Ente Isla in years? How could they have been manipulated, when all they knew was uncertainty?

"Milennia, huh?" Maou asked, "It sounds like it had something to do with my namesake, the original Demon Lord Satan…"

"Indeed is does," Lailah said, happy that her words had gained interest.

"In that case, count us out," Maou decided, standing up and heading for the refrigerator.

"But-uuuuh-what?"

"You heard me," Maou said, pulling out a can of soda, "hit the road, Lailah, and don't let the door hit you on your way out."

All at once, the extent of everyone's fury was focused on Lailah and Nord. Death and sadness were etched onto each of their faces. Lailah and Nord looked around seeing nothing but scowls and hardened expressions.

"You must help us," Nord insisted, "there are things at stake that involve all of you!"

"Not my problem," Maou sighed.

"It is your problem, Great Demon King Satan," Lailah said, "for if you do not help us… Ente Isla is doomed to repeat the Calamity of your world."

Maou froze with the can of soda inches away from his mouth. His eyes were wide, and he seemed incapable of intelligent thought for a moment. He set down the soda and looked Lailah in the eye before he said, "Say that again. Look me in the eye and tell me exactly what you just said."

Lailah met his crimson gaze with her scarlet. She could practically feel the Devil's mental probe within her mind as he listened for the truth in her statement.

"Ente Isla… is soon to follow the way of the Demon World," Lailah said quietly.

"What does she mean, Maou," Emi asked.

"She's talking about the real reason Ente Isla was invaded," Ashiya answered.

"The real reason we left the Demon World… was because we lost most of our magic," Maou muttered, clearly still petrified by the implication. "Demons need negativity to use magic. When I unified the tribes into a Kingdom, I removed anyone who opposed me. With no negativity and no wars, the Demon World was quickly drained of its power. I came to Ente Isla to make a better life for my subjects, one where we could rule over humans, and utilize their despair and hatred. It was a foolproof plan for nigh unlimited magical power."

The way he said it, as though he himself could barely believe what he'd done, made little difference to Emi, whom had already been boiling with rage from the moment her mother stepped into the room.

"That still doesn't tell us why this is our problem," Urushihara grumbled, squished as he was between Suzuno and Ashiya.

"Ente Isla and Heaven have individual sources of magic… something interwoven into the very fabric of our worlds," Lailah explained, "but now Heaven suffers from a severe lack of magic. If the angels are allowed to continue abusing its power, then their world could very well cease to exist."

"So what's the source?" Rika wondered.

"A tree," Nord whispered.

"The Tree of Life," Lailah said.

Most everyone looked a little lost for words. A tree was the source of magic power? How the hell did that work?

"Each world his its own Tree of Life, save the Demon World. The angels residing in Heaven have almost drained their Tree of Life, and have subjugated the Fruit.

"Fruit? Well, I _am_ feeling a little hungry," Urushihara admitted.

"Have you been following this at all?" Chiho asked.

"Not really. It's old news for me."

"Right. Archangel. Duh."

"Anyway, someone shake me if there's food, I'm gonna doze," Urushihara muttered before leaning backward and falling onto the floor.

"Good riddance," Ashiya grumbled, "now there's a bit more room."

"So what happens if their Tree of Life gets destroyed," Maou asked, "wouldn't that destroy them, or render them unable to use magic?"

"Alas, it would not," Lailah said, "this has happened before, as well. There have been other Calamities, long since forgotten, in which the angels have simply gone from world to world, draining magic as they go. It seems each Calamity is followed by just enough time for everyone who remembers to either forget or die off. Then the process begins anew. I belong to an order, established just after the first Calamity. Our mission… is to destroy Heaven utterly. It must be obliterated, and its agents must be cast down from Grace… only then will the cycle be broken."

"So then why is my dad here," Emi asked, "he's a wheat farmer, not some immortal angel!"

"I have been helping your mother," Nord said, "I have been working on multiple fronts to rally people in opposition of Heaven's might."

"Your father isn't an immortal angel," Laulah agreed, smiling at the man, "but he has more heart and soul than anyone else. He truly cares for what's right."

"Ok, back up," Maou said, noting how Emi's face went from pink to red in a matter of moments, "this Tree of Life… you say they'll drain it dry… so the angels are just magical mosquitoes?"

"That's an apt way to put it, sire," Ashiya said.

"Thanks, I try to be concise."

"But what does any of this have to do with us," Suzuno asked.

Everyone turned to look at her, as it was the first time she'd spoken in a while. Most assumed she was simply listening.

"If the angels continue, they will take Ente Isla, and sap the magic from its Tree of Life as they dominate the world," Lailah said simply.

"Humans will be their playthings, disposable and weak. They may even choose to simply wipe us out to conserve magic for themselves," Nord added.

"And after Ente Isla has been drained?" Chiho asked.

Nord and Lailah glanced at each other.

"After that… they may very well come here. It wouldn't be for some time, millennia, even, but sooner or later, they will run out, and move onto the next world."

"Until all life had been consequently eradicated, and all accessible worlds are left dead and barren," Maou surmised, scratching his chin thoughtfully.

"Yes, that's right."

Silence fell as everyone absorbed the new information. Only Urushihara, who snoozed quietly on the floor, just out of sight, didn't seem to disturbed by the revelation.

"So then, how do we beat Heaven?" Maou asked.

It was a question he never thought he'd have to ask. He'd planned to take over Ente Isla and simply allow the angels to exist. War was necessary for his people to have magic… now, however, he was contemplating the best way to defeat a race of powerful immortals on a planet that he probably didn't have enough magic to get too, let alone take on its inhabitants in battle.

"The Sephiroth," Lailah uttered, "the Fruit of the Tree of Life."

Lucifer poked his head up, grumbling with annoyance. "Seriously? If you guys are gonna keep talking about food, I'm going to my closet."

"The Sephiroth are powerful," Nord said, "they are the physical embodiments of everything in each world."

"Those have to be some pretty big fruit," Chiho noted.

"They are," Lailah muttered, "I tried to steal one, centuries ago, but it was quite large and cumbersome, so I broke it and scattered the fragments."

"Fragments?"

"Yes, I shattered Yesod into fragments. Gabriel had been hounding me for ages, and now he's reclaimed all but three of them," Lailah said proudly, "all of which are currently in this very room."

"This is the weapon we meant to give you," Nord said.

Rika, Chiho, Ashiya, Maou, and Emi all glanced about, as though expecting to find broken bits of fruit lying around.

"Hold on a sec. Yesod? Why is that familiar," Maou wondered.

"It's what Bernael was after," Emi recalled, "he was after Yesod fragments."

"One fragment was found by the Church, which they turned into a Holy Sword. This is the sword that you now carry," Lailah said to Emi.

Emi looked down. Without even realizing it, she had brought out the sword. It was beautiful, of course, but after using it so often, she found that its glamour and beauty were somewhat lost on her. The violet jewel set on the guard glowed, and a shimmer ran up the blade.

"So you brought another Holy Sword?" Maou asked.

"No, King Satan. The piece of Yesod we brought for you today is not a holy sword. This is the one I gave to you centuries ago, when I told you to learn all you could of the humans."

Maou's eyes went blank for a moment. Within his mind, he could barely make out the blurriness of his recovery. All he remembered was the sense of wonder and curiosity that filled him when he heard the stories Lailah had told him, as if there was so much more to the world than violence and death.

Then he remembered it, clear as day. He'd woken up to find Lailah had gone, leaving behind only a note that dubbed him 'Great Demon King Satan', and a glowing purple crystal that puzzled him for years until he'd almost forgotten it.

"So that crystal," Maou said carefully, "that was a piece of the Sephiroth? That was a fragment of one of the Fruit?"

"Precisely."

"So then it should be where I left it: planted in the garden of my castle on the central continent," Maou realized, clapping a hand to his head.

Lailah began to rummage about her person before pulling out a fashionable handbag. She opened it, and produced an apple that was solid gold. As soon as it was out of the confines of the bag, the apple grew to about the size of a large pumpkin.

"Wha-what's that," Maou asked, "is that the Fruit or the crystal or what? I'm so lost right now."

"The Fruit, the crystal, the Sephiroth, they are all labels for the same thing… this," Lailah put the apple down on the table, watching it expectantly.

"How is that a weapon," Ashiya asked blankly, staring at the large golden apple with lackluster enthusiasm.

Ashiya's words seemed to cross everyone else's minds as well, because everyone looked the golden apple over closely. It could be used to bludgeon someone into submission, sure, but it was so large and unwieldy, chances were good your enemy would end up killing you if you tried.

"Alas-Ramus," Lailah whispered, rubbing the apple gently, "it's time to wake up, darling. Your papa is waiting to meet you!"

At first, nothing happened. Just when it seemed like nothing ever would, the apple moved slightly, rocking back and forth on the table. There were sounds of struggle, and slowly, cracks began to appear on the apple's surface, as though it were an egg and something were being born from it.

Maou looked to Lailah and saw her watching him with a mixture of pity and gladness, as though a huge weight had just been lifted from her shoulders and thrust onto his. This made Maou uneasy, to say the least of it.

The apple began to stir more vigorously, until it landed upon its side and rolled across the table, stopping just short of the edges. Everyone gathered about the table took turns leaning away from it and looking terrified.

'What sort of creature could this apple contain,' Emi wondered, 'a monster, to help us against Heaven? Maybe a giant of some kind?'

That was when two small, pudgy legs and arms sprouted from the apple. With ease, the apple did a kick-up, and was quickly on its feet. It scrambled to and fro before zeroing in on Emi, who instinctively raised her sword to parry an attack.

The apple charged.

As it came, it began to lose more and more of its apple shell. Long whiteish-silver hair was revealed, with a single streak of purple. Large violet eyes glowed from within the apple-egg's shadow. Emi slowly lowered Better Half, and before she knew it, she had a small child cradled to her chest.

"Mama," the child cried happily.

"Say what, now?" Emi asked, holding the ecstatic child away from her.

"Mama! Mama!"

"I'm not your mama!"

"Mama!"

"But-I-I'm not your mama! Really!"

The child born form the apple seemed to only be a toddler, though to place her actual age would've been impossible. Still, she seemed to speak Japanese quite easily, and fluently, given her apparent age.

Emi quickly set the girl down and backed away from her slowly. Alas-Ramus's eyes seemed to pierce Emi like x-rays, viewing something within Emi that no one else could see.

"Alas-Ramus," Lailah said, "why don't you sit with your papa?"

The newborn Sephirah's eyes traveled around the room, taking in all the new sights and splendors. Finally, her sight rested upon none other that the Demon King, who smiled lamely, now that he finally understand Lailah's expression.

"Papa," Alas-Ramus cried, shooting under the table faster than the eye could follow and appearing in Maou's lap.

Everyone was floored, save Lailah and Nord, both of whom looked a little embarrassed as they avoided eye contact with both Emi and Maou.

"M-M-Maou," asked the tiniest of voices.

It was Chiho, who looked about ready to blow a gasket. Her face was beet red, and her forehead popped with veins as she took one heavy breath after the other.

"Maou… did that child just say that… you're the papa… and Emi is the… momma?"

Maou blanched. Sure, he'd fantasized about having a family with the Hero. He'd even dreamt of it, but to actually have a child… he'd never seriously considered it.

"I-I guess… that's what she says-but I-Chiho, I swear, nothing-I mean-Emi and I didn't-"

"Wait, you two haven't bumped uglies," Urushihara asked, sliding the closet open just enough to peak out of, "there's a shocker."

Without warning, Emi dug around in her purse until she found the first throwable, expendable item she had, which happened to be an empty tube of lipstick. She charged it with celestial force and chucked it as hard as she could at Urushihara, who yelped in pain and promptly closed the closet door.

"That nearly got me in the eye," called his muffled voice.

Emi turned back to the table, trying and failing to look calm. She suddenly found herself face to face with Alas-Ramus, who was standing on the table. The little girl smiled and held out her arms towards Emi.

"Pick me up, mama!"

Emi carefully inched forward and grabbed her, trying to ignore the flabbergasted looks all around her. Alas Ramus smiled even wider, and for a moment Emi remembered a nightmare she'd had not long ago, wherein the Demon King and she had a life and a family in Ente Isla. This was the same child from her dreams, she was sure of it. Emi looked to Maou, who met her gaze, and suddenly they were both overtaken by a severe case of the jitters. They broke eye contact, and Emi pulled Alas-Ramus into her lap.

"So, this is the weapon?" Suzuno asked.

"Um, Suzuno, dear? Don't you think there are some bigger questions that need answering right about now," Rika asked. Her voice was high and squeaky, and her eyes seemed to flicker back and forth between the newly crowned parents with the speed of light.

"You mean as to whether or not the Hero and the Devil had intercourse? Not only is the notion laughable, it's also irrelevant," Suzuno reasoned, "especially if this child is who Lailah claims she is."

"All that I have told you is true," Lailah said in Ente Islan.

That sentence left very little doubt of the situation, which had changed drastically in a matter of minutes. The fate of all worlds was at risk, the angels were nigh unstoppable, and all hope seemed lost. That was the day that the Devil and the Hero unwittingly became parents to a weapon of unimaginable power, and the day that Ente Isla's fate changed, for better, or for worse.

'No pressure,' Maou and Emi thought in unison.

* * *

 **It's three in the morning, but I finally managed to finish editing this. I was toying with the idea of putting this fic on hiatus while I went back and fact checked all the names and beings and stuff. Like, the Sephiroth... I'm pretty sure that's what they're called, but I also think it's a villain from Final Fantasy, so I get a little confused. I was going to double check it so I didn't get a review saying "that's wrong, you're wrong" but you know what? This is fanfiction. I'll just wing it. That's the beauty of artistic license, I can type 'rocks fall, everyone dies' and unless you want to write a rebuttal, or make your own fanfiction, there's little enough you can do to stop me. Moving right along, we have a lot to take in this chapter. The plot thickens like a fine gravy, and things are getting heavy. Like, seriously heavy. On another note, I have a plot (if it can be called such) laid out for this fic. We're hurtling headlong towards the end, but I've still got quite a bit of writing to do before it comes.**

 **Alas-Ramus is so friggin cute tho, guys. If I had a daughter, I'd want her to be like Alas-Ramus: adorable, smart, and easily able to defeat Archangels in combat. Speaking of angels, I've been doing lots of research, and I'll be adding a few OCs before the end, embellishing a few characters already mentioned in the light novels, and (hopefully) fucking up your perception of this entire series. That's what all the best fanfics do, they make you question whether or not what actually happened is canon. Or, at least, that's how I determine if a fic is good or not.**

 **But I'm rambling. I need to eat something. This is where shit starts to get serious, but don't worry, there'll be some more MaouxEmi before the end.**

 **Ciao**

 **MUSIC!**

 **Maria Mena-It Took Me By Surprise**

 **Voltaire-The Night (I've been watching Daria Cohen's animations... they are amazing and I love them LOOK THEM UP!)**

 **Said the Sky &Kewski-All I Got**

 **Isaac Lee-Money**

 **Panic! At the Disco-Far Too Young To Die (the crown weighs heavy on either side)**

 **I've also been listening to musical numbers from Dear Evan Hansen and Heathers. They are now stuck in my head and I may be in need of help because I've haven't been addicted to live theater since A Very Potter Musical.**

 **Just look up Sincerely Me Animatics from DEH, it's... well, it's hilarious, and if that doesn't pull you in, I don't know what will.**


	30. The Devil and the Hero: Let's Go To War!

"You know what? I was expecting for a lot of shit to happen today. I thought I might finally get some answers, or at least learn why neither of you even bothered to find me before now… instead, I'm suddenly a mother, and I have more questions now than I did before you showed up," Emi groaned, holding her forehead.

"We have been busy," Lailah said, "Heaven will soon be vulnerable. We will need all the help we can get."

"How the hell is having a child supposed to make fighting a war easier," Maou asked as Emi thrust Alas-Ramus into his arms.

"Daddy, stahp yewwing!"

"Uh-right, sorry… sweetie?"

Alas Ramus giggled and buried her face in Maou's chest. The Devil had never held a child before, so he kept her exceptionally close against him so that she couldn't wriggle out of his grip.

"Maou has a good point," Rika said, "having a child is a serious expense and commitment. The cost of raising a child today ranges anywhere from twenty to sixty million yen!"

"Wow! How did you know that off the top of your head, Rika," Chiho asked.

"I-I've been researching… I mean, I just know, ok?"

Rika's face had gone red, but no one seemed to notice, save Ashiya. Everyone else was preoccupied with Alas-Ramus, who was snoozing peacefully in Maou's tired arms as Emi had a whispered argument with her mother.

"You can't just drop this on us," Emi hissed, "I just quit my job! I have no way to support a child!"

"You and your friends are the only people who can help us, everyone else in my organization is tied up at the moment! We don't have long before things come to a head-"

"I don't care!"

"All worlds are at stake, Emilia! I know that your father raised you to be loving, compassionate young woman," Lailah whispered, sounding depserate.

"You want to talk about my upbringing? Fine, where the fuck were you? And don't give me that 'on the run from Heaven' crap, you came back for my dad as soon as I was out of the picture!"

"Emi," Nord said quietly, "you were safer with the Church. I knew they could help prepare you for what was to come, so I sent you with them. I only ever had your best interests at heart."

"Then why didn't you let me stay with you," Emi sobbed quietly, her tears running down her face.

"Because I knew that if I hid you away, someone or something would come for you. I sent you with the Holy Father so that you might have a chance- to survive. I thought… I thought that by sending you away, I was saving you from the armies that would inevitably come for you," Nord said, taking off his glasses as he tried to hide his tears from his daughter. "I thought of you every night, and I prayed that you would survive and thrive. When I heard you'd died fighting the Devil… I felt my heart break in two."

Emi's brain froze. She'd never even considered that her father had heard she was dead. Somehow, it just hadn't occurred to her. She'd been so busy with work and tailing the Devil that she'd somehow forgotten to think of her father and his predicament.

"If you don't want to help your mother, I can understand. But Emi… if you don't help us, I'm afraid that Heaven will only get more desperate. Your mother is putting herself at risk for the betterment of all worlds-"

"Nord, now is not the time," Lailah said as her face turned pink.

"I have a hard time picturing her as selfless," Emi grumbled, "she never gave up her freedom to help raise her daughter."

"You mother risks far worse than losing her freedom," Nord said quietly, staring his daughter right in the eye, "she has staked her life on this endeavor. And so have I."

"Uh, guys?"

Emi, Nord, and Lailah all turned to face Maou, who looked untroubled by the fact that he'd interrupted a teary family moment.

"Where's Alas-Ramus," Maou asked.

"YOU LOST THE BABY?" Emi and Lailah shrieked in unison, looking as though they both might just burst a blood vessel.

* * *

After verifying that Alas Ramus was nowhere to be found inside the Villa Rosa, everyone decided to split into teams and look for her. Even Urushihara was roused from his closet, and was forced to bundle up so that he might help out.

"But its cooooold," he whined.

"Shut up," Ashiya, Maou, and Emi all yelled.

Once outside, Emi, Nord, Lailah, Maou, Suzuno, Urushihara, Rika, Ashiya, and Chiho all gathered at the foot of the stairs to discuss strategies.

"She can't have gone very far," Nord said, "so we should split up and search within a one kilometer radius. One of us is sure to find her."

"I can't believe you lost her," Emi scoffed at Maou, "some father you'll be."

Her words made Maou's hairs stand on end, as though he'd suddenly been zapped with a taser. She couldn't have possibly meant it the way she said it, but the thought alone made Maou's insides squirm.

'Babies… with Emi,' he thought, smirking at the absurd appeal of the idea.

In the end, Emi and Maou would be searching as a team, with Nord going along with them. Lailah would tag along with Urushihara and Suzuno, and Chiho would escort Rika and Ashiya. With the teams picked, everyone zipped up their coats and set off in different directions, fanning out so as to prevent any chance of missing Alas-Ramus.

"So, what happened?" Emi asked.

"What do you mean," Maou replied, feeling a little put off by Emi's father, who was only a few steps behind them.

"You just put Alas-Ramus down and she wandered off? What happened?"

"I… I don't know," Maou said, "I was listening to you guys argue, and then… I looked down and I wasn't holding her anymore."

Maou thought he heard a noise behind him, but it only turned out to be Nord sniffling.

"Perhaps we'd best go back," Nord suggested, "someone might have found her."

"And forgotten to call us?" Emi asked skeptically.

"Hmm."

They continued to walk, keeping their eyes peeled for any traces of Alas-Ramus. Maou couldn't help but feel like an idiot. Alas-Ramus was probably wandering around without a coat, not even sure where she had come from. The thought of her, shivering behind some dumpster as she slowly froze to death put a fire in Maou's chest and a tear in his eye.

"Alas-Ramus," he called, "where are you!?"

No response was forthcoming. Sure, Maou had never held a child, but he couldn't even remember setting her down. Last he remembered, she was resting quietly against his chest, and drooling onto his shirt.

'Alas-Ramus,' Maou thought, his vision blurring slightly. He cleared his throat to push the painful guilt that had risen therein back down into his esophagus.

'Daddy, why awe you sad?'

"Alas-Ramus," Maou asked, "where are you?"

'Stahp yewwing,' she whined.

"Maou, are you alright," Emi asked, laying a hand on the Devil's shoulder.

"It's as I thought," Nord smiled, "Alas-Ramus fell asleep and merged with Satan."

"Call me Maou," the Devil insisted. His brow furrowed as he concentrated. He held out his arms, focusing as he stared into them. He could practically see Alas Ramus, cradled in his arms, and then, with a violet glow, she appeared, just as he had visualized.

Alas-Ramus rubbed her eyes and looked at Maou tiredly.

"It's cowd heah," she noted tiredly.

Maou unzipped his coat and hugged Alas-Ramus close to him before zipping it back up. Her little legs and arms were freezing, but Maou walked slowly. So as to avoid tripping, and partially so that he could focus on keeping Alas-Ramus from vanishing again. Emi sent out a text to the other groups, who all expressed relief that the young girl had been found.

"It seems she has been bound to you, Satan," Nord said, "this is… rather unprecedented. We meant for the child to be bound to Emilia. We thought Alas-Ramus' power to be poisonous to demons, like celestial force."

"Well, I don't really much any different, so I'm guessing it won't be an issue," Maou said.

Something about Emi's father made Maou feel rather strange. It was awkward to think that he was the father of the woman Maou secretly cared for. Did he fear the Devil? Was he angry that his daughter had allied with Satan? If so, he did an excellent job of hiding it.

Emi, Nord, Maou, and Alas-Ramus were the last ones back to the Villa Rosa, even though they'd traveled less distance than all the other groups. When Maou walked into the room and unzipped his coat, Lailah looked quite overjoyed.

"Well, Satan, it appears you're full of surprises. For a moment, I thought Alas-Ramus had been stolen by Gabriel."

"About that," Emi said, "can we expect him to come for Alas-Ramus?"

"We don't know," Nord admitted, setting his coat off to the side and running his hands through his hair, "he may decide to leave his post, or he may choose to simply cut his losses and protect the Tree more fiercely than ever before. It's hard to be certain."

"I can't see Gabriel abandoning his post so lightly… though to think that Heaven won't send someone is the height of folly," Lailah reasoned, "they may very well have already sensed Alas-Ramus. Now that she has awoken and bonded with the Devil, they may have dispatched someone to apprehend her, and take her and the Holy Sword back to Heaven."

"Let them try," Emi muttered. Her voice shook with anger, and her hands were balled into fists. Her knuckles shone white through her skin as her entire body shuddered with suppressed rage. "Let them come and try to take Better Half. Let them try to take Alas-Ramus. I could use a punching bag right about now."

"You're anger at me is making you irrational," Lailah said soothingly, trying to place a hand on her daughter's shoulder. Emi smacked the hand away and scoffed.

"You? You think this is just about you? You're not only wrong, you must be some kind of idiot! I'm angry because I've watched good people get killed by Heaven's decree. I've seen how they cast away those who don't fit into their society. I've watched firsthand as angels fought and died for what they believed in! I've seen the despair and hopelessness that Heaven has caused. This has nothing to do with you! This is for Raphael. This is for Beliel. Even though they were sadistic assholes, this is for Sariel and Bernael, too. So yeah, let them send an angel. Let them send ten, I'll slice them into a million pieces and send their heads back to Ignora!"

"Emilia, death and violence solve nothing," Nord said quietly.

Emi drove her fist into the table, shaking Suzuno's party platter and making everyone situated around it jump.

"I know that better than anyone! Who do you think had been dealing with death and violence ever since she was a little girl? Who do you think has been trained from day one to kill? I wasn't born like this! I never wanted to fight! I was forced too, first to protect my country! Then to defend the world and its people! Now, I'm fighting for my friends and allies, and a daughter that can hardly defend herself, much less be used as a weapon against Heaven!"

"Mama?"

Alas-Ramus stirred in Maou's arms and clambered onto the table. She peered quite intensely at Emi, who tried to hide her teary eyes from the Sephirah.

"Mama? Why you cwying? Does it huwt?"

Emi pulled Alas-Ramus into her lap and hugged the girl tightly, doing her best to steady her heartbeat and her shaky arms.

"Mama-Mama's alright, Alas-Ramus. I just don't want to lose anyone else."

Emi's words seemed to strike Maou, Ashiya, Urushihara, Suzuno, Rika, and Chiho at their cores. Even though Rika and Chiho were rarely a part of their battles, they were the ones left behind to wait and wonder whether their friends would ever come back. For them it was far harder than being involved in actual combat.

"I never meant for you to take up this burden," Nord said, holding his daughter, and his newly appointed granddaughter, "I never wanted this for you. If I could change how things have been for you, I'd do it in a heartbeat, but I can't. For what it's worth, I'm proud of you, Emilia. You've been so strong for everyone… I only wish I was half as strong as you."

Emi was not a stranger to tears, but somehow the ones she was shedding now felt different. They were more personal. More vulnerable. She almost wished the others would avert their eyes, but when she turned to look at them defiantly, she found they all had bright, tear-filled eyes. The only exception was Urushihara, who was staring quite intently at the floor and blinking hard in a vain attempt to keep up his illusion of flippancy.

Lailah looked at her husband, daughter, and granddaughter with a small, sad smile, wishing more than ever that she had been able to be a part of that moment. At present, Emi would not open up to Lailah, but perhaps if all went well there would be a chance to heal… to forgive and forget the wounds of the past, and maybe, just maybe, there could be a fresh start for the archangel and her daughter.

Lailah's eyes snapped wide open. All at once, everyone seemed to be alert. Even Chiho and Rika cocked their heads, having become somewhat attuned to otherworldly happenings by their constant proximity with magic.

"Something wicked this way comes," Lailah said.

"A gate had been opened," Ashiya muttered.

"And that celestial force-" Maou began.

"It's an angel," Emi muttered darkly. "A powerful one, too."

Lailah could sense it. Each angel had their own distinct power, as each of them had different houses of authority. Lailah could sense something distasteful, as though she were being watched.

"It's her," Lailah frowned, "the Watchgaurd of Heaven. The Divine Vanguard."

"Who?" Emi asked, her blood boiling in her veins as images of Raphael's final moments flashed through her head.

"Tsophiel," Nord muttered, "the Surveyor."

* * *

Roughly ten kilometers away, a gate tore open on the grounds of the Imperial Palace in Chiyoda. The void was spinning endlessly, and blue tendrils of energy coiled away into nothingness. An armored boot stepped through the gate, and soon, a woman emerged from within it.

She was built long and lean, like a runner. Her silver armor was slim fitting and light, so as to allow a wider range of swift movement. Her long lilac colored hair was done in a tight braid that fell to her tailbone, and her brow was donned with a braided leather cord. She took in a deep breath and winced. Even though she was surrounded by beautiful green trees, she still caught the horrid stench of human civilization. It was a plague upon her nostrils, and she gagged for a moment before settling her stomach.

"I'm not sure I can do this," she groaned to herself.

Tsophiel was the Spy of God. Her job was to remain unseen and unheard. The best way to do that was to avoid people, which she usually did anyway. Now she was surrounded by them, people were everywhere, and she had to find the remaining fragments of Yesod in an enormous city.

She narrowed her violet eyes and focused her magic inward. Bright white wings spread from her back. With a kick, Tsophiel left the earth behind, spiraling upward towards thick clouds of smog that made it difficult to breathe.

The first rule for her whenever she was on a reconnaissance mission was simple. She would find the highest landmark and sit atop it, memorizing the lay of the land, and every single advantage and disadvantage it provided. Then, she would seek her objective, and meet them on equal footing.

A gleaming spire of reflective glass met Tsophiel's eye, and she glided for the landmark as quickly as possible. The faster she completed her mission, the faster she could return to her other duties.

She made to land on the rooftop, only to find that the top of the building was opened to the elements via a large balcony lined with flowers. She alighted on the balcony, staring out over the Tokyo horizon as she memorized every street, building, and alleyway. Her eyes glowed with an ethereal light as she took in the view.

"Excuse me, miss, can I get you a drink?"

A large man in a waiter's outfit came up behind Tsophiel, but she turned and gave him a hard look. As soon as he met her eye, his face went slack and his eyes glazed over for a moment before he turned and walked away.

"Humans," Tsophiel scoffed, returning to her vigil.

She felt something, a burst of celestial force about ten kilometers west, and Tsophiel's violet eyes narrowed.

"There you are, Hero."

* * *

"Emi, wait!"

"No! I'm sick of waiting for people to come and kill my friends! I'm done letting Heaven come to us! I'm gonna go send this Tsophiel bitch packing!"

Emi made for the door, angrily sweeping her hair from her face as she laced up her winter boots. Lailah grabbed Emi's arm, but Emi pulled away.

"Emi, please, you mustn't do this! We have the advantage so long as we all stay together! We need to form a battle plan. There is only one angel, but she is still a force to be reckoned with!"

"What, so now I can't take on one of Heaven's scouts? Please, I took on the Demon King and his armies. I know what I'm doing."

"Emilia, your mother is right," Nord said, "Tsophiel is not just Heaven's scout. She is an Archangel of-"

"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN," Emi yelled at her father, "SHE'S DEAD! AS IS ANYONE ELSE WHO THINKS THEY CAN TAKE MY FRIENDS AWAY FROM ME!"

"Emi."

The sound of Maou's voice gave the Hero pause. She turned to look at him, and she found Alas-Ramus sitting in his lap, crying quietly as she reached out for Emi.

"Mama," the girl cried, "don't yeww. Don't be mad."

Emi shook her head, berating herself for her emotions. She smiled and went over to where Maou and Alas-Ramus sat.

"I'm sorry. I won't yell anymore. Stay here… stay with Papa, ok? Be a good girl?"

"But I wanna hewp," Alas-Ramus sniffled.

"Not yet… stay here and be good for papa. Mama will be back soon," Emi smiled, but with her festering emotions, she felt like her smile might fracture at any moment.

Alas-Ramus reached out and wiped a tear from Emi's face.

"Pwease don't cwy," she mumbled.

Emi embraced Alas-Ramus before putting on her coat and pulling two bottles of Holy Vitamin Beta from her purse, downing one after the other and tossing them into the recyclables.

"I'll be back before you know it," Emi muttered, smiling at Alas-Ramus.

She shot a glare at her mother and father before stepping out onto Maou's balcony. Her anger, which had been moments away from overtaking her, shot to the surface. With it came all of Emi's celestial force, and in a blaze of light, Emi took to the skies, her hair white and her eyes gleaming crimson as she shot across Tokyo with the force of a meteor.

"So what, none of you guys are gonna go help," Maou asked, looking around the room.

"I'd go myself," Lailah said, "but she obviously would not welcome my presence on the field of battle."

"I'll do it," Nord said, putting on his sports jacket and furrowing his brow."Acies-Ara, it's time to wake up."

At Nord's side, the shimmering outline of a person appeared, and in a flash of light, they manifested. She only looked to be about fourteen, and she had short white hair with long forelocks, one of which was violet, just like Alas-Ramus' hair. The girl yawned, stretching as she rubbed her eyes.

"That was nice," she said, "I needed a good nap."

She peered around the room and tutted.

"Who are these bozos? They all look like they've been sitting here crying."

"Acies-Ara, we've worked on this," Nord sighed, "you have to be more polite."

"Yeah, yeah, you're right dad," she said.

The girl's eyes lit up when she saw Ala-Ramus and she quickly dove into Maou's lap as well.

"Big sister! It's so good to see you!"

"Acies!"

Alas-Ramus hugged her sister, all the while Maou looked murderous. He didn't know who this girl was, though by using his superior demon intellect, he correctly deduced her identity as a piece of Yesod.

"So annoying," he muttered as Acies-Ara blabbed to Alas-Ramus.

"Acies-Ara, get off the Demon King's lap," Nord chided, "we have work to do!"

"Wha-oh! Right! Sure thing, papa," the girl chirped.

She vanished in a flash of light that flew into Nord's outstretched hand. After a moment, a sword was revealed, looking strangely similar to Emi's.

"Ready for battle," Acies said happily, her voice just as annoying coming from a sword as it had been coming from the girl herself.

"Nord, wait," Lailah said, "you can't just... I mean, I know she's our daughter, but I can't lose you, too-"

"I'll bring her back," Nord said, smiling confidently as he cupped his wife's chin. Lailah looked torn for a moment before she nodded and turned away.

"Godspeed, my dear," Lailah muttered, "bring Emi home safely."

"That's the idea."

With that, Nord began to levitate. He looked a little shaky, as though it wasn't something he often did.

"I suppose I need a bit more practice," he laughed, sweat beading his brow as he soared through the balcony window and off into the bright afternoon.

Maou looked at Alas-Ramus and found her staring after them longingly. An idea came to the Devil and his face lit up.

"Alas-Ramus, can you do that, too?" he asked quickly.

The girl nodded happily.

"Alright," Maou said, "I think I have an idea."

"No!" Lailah snatched Alas-Ramus away from Maou, causing the little girl to instantly start bawling and crying for her papa.

"WAAAAAAHAHAHAAAAA!"

"No! I forbid you from using Alas-Ramus' power! She was only just born," Lailah insisted, speaking over Alas-Ramus' wailing.

Maou pinched the bridge of his nose as he felt the day's events start to take their toll on his psyche. Laila continued to tell him that, under no circumstances, would he be allowed to carry Alas-Ramus into battle.

"Ok, fine I get it," Maou snapped, causing Lailah to blanch, "you look after Alas-Ramus, then. I'm going after Emi."

"B-But King Satan, I sense your powers are not as strong as they once were… perhaps you should stay here," Lailah suggested nervously.

"NO! I'm not like you! I can't just send people out to do my bidding and trust that things will work out! I can't hide in the shadows, I have to go help her!"

"But you'll die," Lailah said, "you'll die for nothing! You'll leave your kingdom in shambles!"

"It's already in shambles, and death doesn't scare me!" Maou shouted.

"PAPA! Stahp yewwing," Alas-Ramus cried, holding out her arms and reaching for Maou.

"I'm sorry, Alas-Ramus. I'll stop yelling, but papa has to go help-I have to go help mama."

"Satan," Lailah asked.

Maou turned to Lailah, but disgust was etched into the lines of his face. Maou's words seemed to echo within Lailah's head for a moment before he turned towards the window.

 _'_ _I'm not like you!'_

"Count us in, too, sire," Ashiya said, "Urushihara and I have your back."

"You know, I don't mind fighting when I actually have a shot at winning," Urushihara grinned, pulling Bernael's sword from out of his closet.

The three demons clambered through the window before taking off after Emi, Nord, and Acies-Ara.

This left Chiho, Rika, Suzuno, and Lailah all sitting in the apartment awkwardly, but Lailah couldn't contain her frustrations any more. She sank to her knees, tears spilling from her eyes as she recalled the looks of disdain and dislike the Devil and the Hero had given her.

"Whewe my papa go?" Alas-Ramus asked quietly, her big violet eyes filling with unshed tears.

"He-he went to help your mama," Lailah smiled, "they'll be back soon… I-I promise."

Chiho watched as Lailah shuddered, still kneeling on the floor as she held onto Alas-Ramus like the girl was her only hope. Suzuno stood and swept over to the Archangel, laying a hand upon her shoulder.

"Are you alright, Lady Lailah," she muttered.

"My child hates me," Lailah's choked, "her friends despise me… I thought that by distancing myself I would not be such a burden… it turns out I've only made things more difficult for you all. I'm sorry."

Suzuno looked unsure for a moment before she steeled her gaze and sank to her knees before the Archangel, forcing Lailah to stare into her eyes.

"Apologies do nothing," Suzuno told her, "the best thing you can do… is fight for the people you care about. Even if your bones are broken and you've no other weapons save tooth and nail. That is all we have ever done here on Earth. If you want your daughter to trust you, show her that your interests align with hers… and fight until your very last to defend those interests."

Lailah's tears stopped. She'd been dreading the day she'd have to enter the fray herself. She was never one for the front lines, and even though she was confident in her abilities, she would be openly opposing Heaven. The consequences would be dire, at best.

Lailah took a shaky breath before grinning weakly, "I guess it was only a matter of time."

* * *

Tsophiel's narrowed eyes spotted something akin to a shooting star. It moved with such speed and light that she could barely make out the long white hair, furious red eyes and long, silver blade before an armored boot sank into her gut, sending her flying clear off the skyscraper balcony.

"You picked a really bad time to go sightseeing," Emi hollered, flying after Tsophiel, her entire being shrouded in holy light.

The Archangel Tsophiel turned in midair, her wings snapping open to right her fall. Emi zipped in faster than a comet, Better Half poised to strike. Tsophiel drew her own blade, which was thin and light, and parried the blow. The force of Emi's attack pushed her past the angel, who quickly punted Emi in the back of her head, sending her crashing into the side of a skyscraper.

"So, you're Emilia the Hero?" Tsophiel mused. "How delightful it is to make your acquaintance! I am Tsophiel, Archangel of Espionage, Intrigue, Widsom, Strategy and Understanding. Perhaps your mother has told you of me?"

Emi sat up, having crashed through the glass and steel and come to a stop inside a fancy guest suite of the hotel. She clambered to her feet and brushed off her evil-slaying regalia, frowning up at Tsophiel.

"Geez, you know my mother, too?" Emi asked.

"Of course! We used to work together. Lailah is the Archangel of Night, Victory, Secrecy, Tactics and Foresight! Our job descriptions were practically one and the same," Tsophiel explained cheerfully.

"Somehow, that makes perfect sense," Emi muttered.

Her form once more ignited in a blaze of holy magic, and Emi flew at the Archangel like missile. She slashed with Better Half, sending out a wave of frost to encompass her enemy, but Tsophiel countered it with a blast of holy fire.

"DIE, DAMN YOU," Emi screamed.

She struck head on, driving at Tsophiel like a madwoman. She swung Better Half in a two handed grip, pushing the angel back through sheer ferocity. The sound of their blades clashing sounded more like someone dropping a drawer full of forks onto the floor, as their strikes were so fast, one could not trail off before several more rang out.

Emi's eyes were wide as she simply hacked away aimlessly at her opponent, roaring with fury. Tsophiel kept one arm behind her back, expertly parrying every single strike. Occasionally, she would simply dodge the attack all together, only serving to fuel Emi's anger, like throwing gasoline on a fire.

"My, my, someone has been having a bad day," Tsophiel laughed.

Emi slashed diagonally, but Tsophiel caught the blade of Better Half against the guard of her sword and twisted, pushing downward. Better Half twinkled brightly as it spun out of Emi's hand, falling towards the streets of Tokyo.

Emi was about to summon the sword again, but Tsophiel had already rested the blade of her rapier against her collarbone, just as Emi had done to her mother.

"You have Lailah's looks, but it seems you lack her skill with a blade," the archangel muttered, tucking a free strand of violet hair back behind her ear, "now then, be a good girl and hand over Better Half, would you?"

"I'd sooner die," Emi snarled.

The archangel's face split into a depraved grin.

"That can be arranged, my dear," she said, drawing back her arm and preparing to stab Emi right in her throat.

Tsophiel was about to thrust when her arm was clamped in a vice-like grip. Emi's eyes widened. The archangel followed the Hero's gaze, only to find a businessman with long red hair holding her wrist.

"Pardon the interruption," he said quietly, "but that's my daughter your threatening. You'll have to go through me-"

Nord was cut short as Tsophiel kicked him right upside his head, sending him flying several blocks as he crashed towards the ground.

"Wow," the archangel said, shielding her eyes from the sun as she watched Nord fall, "maybe there's something that runs in your family, but you guys really know how to take a hit!"

She turned back to face Emi, but found that the Hero was gone. The sound of something heavy shooting through the air was heard, and Tsophiel turned to see Emi flying off after her father.

"The hunt begins," Tsophiel whispered excitedly, her wings beating the air as she gave chase.

Emi found her father quickly regaining air control. It looked as though he had very nearly crashed onto a highway, but had managed to stop just before impact. He was smoothing back his hair as Emi flew up and looked him over.

"Dad," she muttered, "are you ok? How the hell are you-"

"Duck," Nord shouted, shoving Emi downward.

Tsophiel sliced at Nord, but he parried, summoning Acies-Ara in blade form. Sparked flew as the two blades collided. Tsophiel made to kick Nord again, but her caught her leg and spun her around, sending her careening off towards the highway.

"Dad-was that-are you holding-"

"I'll explain later," Nord said, laying a hand on his daughter's shoulder, "for now, let's focus on staying alive."

"Too little, too late," Tsophiel muttered in his ear.

She put Nord in a headlock, but even as he fought, Tsophiel felt a tapping on her shoulder.

"Wow, you're sort of a… what do you call it… bitch," Acies-Ara chuckled, smirking at the Archangel.

With ease unbefitting a small fourteen year old girl, Acies carefully pried opened Tsophiel's arms and released Nord, who fell down to the sidewalk in a huff, clutching at his throat.

"I'm getting too old for this," he groaned.

"You little brat," the archangel snarled, grabbing Acies-Ara by the front of her overalls.

The fragment of Yesod let the archangel drag her close. Tsophiel reared back her fist and drove it as hard as she could into Acies-Ara's stomach. The girl's smiled only widened as the sound of bones shattering broke the stillness.

"AAAAAAAAAARRRRRGHH," Tsophiel howled, withdrawing her hand to reveal a mangled mess of bloody fingers and splintered bone.

Before Emi could even wince in discomfort, Acies-Ara had appeared by Nord's side, carefully helping him to his feet.

"I told you, daddy," she scolded the man, "you need more practice!"

Emi's eye twitched… what did that girl just call her father? Nord noticed Emi's look of sheer disbelief and quickly shook his head.

"I'll explain later," he said.

"At this rate, I'm expecting a pretty lengthy explanation," Emi sighed, turning her attention to the Archangel, who was quickly healing her broken hand.

"You heretics," she muttered, "how dare you turn the Sephirah against us! You'll pay dearly for this."

"Oh? And how do you plan to do that when you're so clearly outmatched," snarked a cocky voice.

Hovering over the scene, looking like they were modelling for the latest catalogue of 'Demon Vogue' magazine, were Urushihara, Maou, and Ashiya. Ashiya was wearing his cape, as was Maou. Urushihara had Bernael's sword resting upon his shoulder.

"Lucifer…it seems fate has a strange sense of humor. I initially turned down this mission, now I find nearly all of Heaven's enemies and primary objectives all wrapped up in a neat little package for me," Tsophiel called up to the fallen angel.

"What makes you so sure you can best us," Maou asked, "from what I saw, you seem to have trouble beating one little girl."

"I am the Divine Vanguard," Tsophiel said, "my duties include scoping out other worlds and figuring out whether or not they are suitable for angelic domestication and inhabitation."

"So?"

"So… I deem that this planet, Earth, is unfit for angelic inhabitation, nor inhabitation of any kind! By my right as Heaven's Vanguard, I condemn this world to purification by Holy Fire!"

The archangel's eyes lit up with violet malice, and with a single wave of her hand, the streets of Tokyo were engulfed in bright golden flames. It paid no heed to what was and was not flammable, and it spread faster than any fire they had ever seen. People sprinted, running for their lives. They abandoned their vehicles, barely escaping before they turned to dust in the holy fire.

"I'll raze this entire world, I'll purify you all, and I'll pick the fragments of Yesod from the ashes and return to Heaven in glorious triumph!"

Maou cursed. Something told him that even if they managed to put out the fires, Tsophiel would not be easy to defeat.

"Looks like we're taking the back seat of this fight, guys," Maou said hurriedly, "fan out and try to find a way to neutralize those flames! Keep them from spreading!"

Ashiya, Urushihara, and Maou all flew off in different directions, towards the outer perimeters of the fire. Nord and Emi took to the skies as well, narrowly avoiding the golden flames that raced along the streets and sidewalks.

"Hey, where'd that girl go," Emi asked.

"I'm right here," a voice said, emanating from the glowing purple crystal in Nord's sword.

"So it _is_ another Holy Sword," Emi realized.

"Yes and no," Nord said, "her name is Acies-Ara."

"Nice to meet you, Emi," the sword said, "Nord has told me so much about you!"

Emi wasn't quite sure how to feel about that, so she turned her attention back to Tsophiel, but the archangel was preoccupied in her own right.

She stared down at the streets, watching as the golden flames spread. They ate away at everything, reducing the city to ashes with no regard to anyone or anything.

"It seems this world has no guardians," she muttered, "else they surely would have shown themselves by now."

"That's where you're wrong!"

Out of the sky fell an angelic woman in a white dress. She smiled at Emi and Nord, but when she turned her attention back to Tsophiel, she almost looked nervous, or scared.

"Lailah," Tsophiel exclaimed, "I was just thinking of you!"

"And I you," Lailah replied.

"Have you come to help me? Shall we burn this world together, for old time's sake?"

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that," Lailah crossed her arms, "my daughter and her comrades are happy here."

"Come now, Lailah, you can't be serious," Tsophiel asked, gliding closer to the woman in white, "you would never actually turn your back on Heaven… would you?"

"I…"

Lailah looked into her daughter's eyes, and in that moment, she thought not of herself, but of the life she'd taken from her daughter to conserve her own status.

"I would," Lailah said firmly, "and you will not hurt anyone else I care about!"

"Such a shame," Tsophiel frowned, "we could have been sisters in arms again… but it seems you've made your choice."

"I made my choice long ago. I've only delayed the inevitable up until this point," Lailah laughed nervously.

"Well then, Lailah, you leave me no choice… I hereby call upon Raguel, the Proclaimer of the Fallen! Cast down this recreant angel from the bosom of our Lord," Tsophiel cried.

For a moment, nothing happened. Emi's face twisted into one of terror, and with a small, sad smile, Lailah's wings faded away, and she plummeted towards the ground, which was so consumed by holy fire that it looked as though she were being cast into the Inferno itself.

"Goodbye, Lailah," Tsophiel spat.

"NO!"

Emi took off in hot pursuit of her mother. The blinding flames and intense heat clawed at her like monsters, but still she dove headlong towards the golden flames. Using Better Half, Emi managed to quench some of the flames using her Heavenly Ice Dance technique. She saw Lailah, still falling, only moments from hitting the ground. Emi released the holy frost from her body in waves, barely beating back the flames as she dove into their heart. She managed to scoop Lailah out of thin air before kicking off of the ground and racing out of the raging inferno as it rose behind her.

* * *

"What are we supposed to do? Nothing seems to be stopping these flames," Lucifer called.

"Keep trying," Maou shouted, "we have to do something! The whole city will be destroyed at this rate!"

"My Lord, this fire seemed eerily reminiscent of Greek Fire, which was used during the Byzantine Empire," Alciel chimed in, shooting beams of frost magic from his hands.

"Well, how did they counter Greek Fire," Maou asked.

"They didn't, to my knowledge. It was so potent that it continued to burn, even as enemy ships sank beneath the waves."

"Yeah, that really doesn't help us right now," Maou shouted.

Urushihara slashed at the flames, sending out a blanket of darkness, but it simply covered the flames like a blanket for a moment before the golden fire ate through it.

"I got nothing," Lucifer sighed, "not unless Maou feels like summoning a flood for old time's sake."

"Sure, cause one mess isn't enough," Maou jibed.

From behind Maou came the sound of a sharp 'Tut,tut.'

He turned, only to find his landlady, Miki Shiba, floating in midair, her dress blowing in the breeze as she surveyed the destruction.

"L-landlady," Maou said.

"Sire! You paid the rent, didn't you?" Ashiya asked.

"Of course I did! That's probably not why she's here, Alciel!"

"Satan is correct. I am not here for his rent. I received it on time, as per the rental agreement. I am here because Lailah foresaw that Tsophiel would cause such a mess," she said distastefully, the gold flames reflected in her eyes.

Maou, Ashiya, and Urushihara all waited patiently for Miki to act, but she simply looked on as the fire spread further and further.

"So-um, Landlady-"

"Mikitty, dear," the landlady said.

"Uh-right… Mikitty," Maou said, feeling the bile rise in his throat, "are you going to do… something?"

"I already have, my darling Demon Lord," Mikitty chuckled.

* * *

Below, on the near deserted streets of Tokyo, most of which had been evacuated due to the fires, a rogue van screeched its tired as it veered back and forth across all lanes of stopped traffic.

"Who the hell just parks in the middle of the god damned street," Amane shouted, cranking the wheel hard to avoid an abandoned sedan. Up ahead, golden flames roared as they spread across the highway.

Amane could smell the city burning, and the acrid smoke made her throat sore, but she swallowed the foul taste it left in her mouth and put the pedal to the floor. It didn't make much difference, as the van had a rather limited top speed, but she felt better knowing that she was giving it her all.

She stopped a block and a half away from the billowing fires before parking her van by the sidewalk and stepping out onto the empty street. Shadows danced across the pavement as the fire advanced, almost as if it could sense life, and it were hell-bent on snuffing it out.

Amane rolled up the sleeves of her flannel shirt as she quickly threw her hair into a messy ponytail. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes as the flames fanned out and encircled her, like a pack of wolves closing in for a kill.

The crackling of flames died away. The feeling of moisture was heavy against her skin, and the cool, damp fog she controlled came to her beck and call.

The golden flames began to lose their heat. She opened her eyes and found the flames shrinking away before her. A wall of thick fog rolled in, sweeping through Tokyo as silently and peacefully as the fire was loud and ferocious.

With a grin, Amane stepped back and was immediately shrouded by the wall of dense, cloudy moisture.

"Looks like water beats fire," she muttered quietly to herself.

* * *

"Demon King, General Alciel," Mikitty said suddenly, "I'd like you both to pool your power and create a time-freezing barrier around the city until this is all sorted out."

Maou and Ashiya nodded and set to work, creating a shroud of greyness that froze people in place and seemed to still time all over the city.

"What about me," Urushihara wondered.

"Conserve your strength, Morningstar," Mikitty said, "you'll need it for the clean-up."

"I hate cleaning," the fallen angel scowled.

* * *

Emi held on tightly to Lailah as the archangel thrashed in her grip, but it was difficult. Lailah's dress was charred and burnt, and she smelled like burnt hair. Even as Emi watched, her mother's hair and irises became violet, like Urushihara's. Every single muscle in Lailah's body seemed to be tensely clenched, and though she managed to keep her jaw clamped shut, Emi knew that Lailah wanted to scream and cry out in pain.

"Do you feel that," Tsophiel jeered, "that tremendous sense of overwhelming loneliness? That distinct taste of abject failure? Remember that, Lailah! It will forever remind you of what you gave up for your bastard child."

"Excuse me. It's 'Tsophiel', right?"

"Huh?"

It was Nord, who was carefully stowing his spectacles in the breast pocket of his sports jacket. He swept the loose hair from his face before turning to glare at the archangel.

"I want you to remember this, because it's going happen every single time I hear you mocking my wife and daughter."

Nord shot forward and threw a terrifyingly powerful right hook, this time reinforcing his own body with Acies-Ara's power. He hit the archangel in the gut, tearing clear through her armored breastplate and sending her rocketing off across town.

"Emi," Nord muttered, flying over to his daughter, "let me help you."

Together, they held Lailah over the sea of flames. She had stopped thrashing, but she looked much as Raphael had done after his fall from Grace: disbelieving, unsure, and hopelessly, irrevocably alone.

"Nord," she muttered, staring off into the sky, "Emilia…"

"Yes, dear," Nord asked quietly, taking his wife's hand, "what is it?"

"Do you hear that? Those… those screams?" Lailah coughed and shifted her head, as though listening. The sound of sirens was heard in the distance, but screams? Emi and Nord heard nothing of the sort.

"Darling, are you alright," Nord asked.

"I hear… I feel… So much pain and hatred… how do you shut it out," she asked, covering her ears as the sounds of negative human emotion filled her head.

All at once, Emi had a terrible realization that very nearly made her drop her mother.

 _"_ _Of course! We used to work together! Lailah is the Archangel of Night, Victory, Secrecy, Tactics and Foresight! Our job descriptions were practically one and the same!"_ Tsophiel had said.

And then, from way back during the Bernael Incident, Emi heard Urushihara say something.

 _"_ _An angel of Darkness, serving the light? That's like Maou trying to ingest Celestial Force, it weakens him, and that's exactly why Heaven held onto dear old Bernael for as long as possible: so that he couldn't grow stronger."_

Emi's voice was weak as she asked, "Mom?"

"The… the screams," Lailah said, hugging herself, "they're too much."

"No!" Nord gripped Lailah's hand in both of his, looking down at her with pleading green eyes.

"No, you're stronger than this! You knew this might happen, remember? You can't give up! We're all in this together! Those screams are your new source of power, Lailah. You have to accept them!"

"No," Lailah sobbed, "don't make me-please-I-I can't stand it… so much pain… so much sorrow."

"Snap out of it, Lailah," Nord said desperately, "please! Everyone else is playing their part! Emi is fighting, your daughter is fighting! Show her you care by standing with her!"

Lailah shook her head, hiding away her tears as she was overwhelmed by her Fall. Emi looked around. The golden flames were receding, pushed back by a wall of fog which should have been impossible that far inland. High up over the highway, Emi could see Maou, Ashiya, and Urushihara.

Her vision warped, and suddenly she saw two demons… and a fallen angel.

"Hold on, mom," Emi said, "I think I know someone who can help."

The sound of flapping wings beat against Emi's eardrums, and suddenly Tsophiel fell upon Nord, sword flashing as she sought to kill him. It bounced uselessly off his skin due to the Yesod he was bound to, but she was still able to drive him back.

"Take your mother to Lucifer," Nord shouted, "get her to accept her Fall!"

Emi furrowed her eyebrows, flying through the air as though she and her mother were weightless. Much to Emi's surprise, she found the demons were not alone. Maou's landlord was present as well, watching the fog push back the fire with a smirk and a twinkle in her eye.

"Uh-hi… it's Cat, right? Or-no, kitty-something?" Emi asked lamely.

"No need for pleasantries, dear," Miki Shiba said hurriedly, "Morningstar, do your duty."

Lucifer looked at Lailah and sighed. He didn't say anything, because he knew if he did Emi would surely try to kill him, so instead he laid his hand on Lailah's sooty forehead and delved within Lailah's mind.

* * *

When he awoke, he was laying on a hill covered in flowers. It was one of many like it in Heaven. Apparently, Lailah had molded it after her old home world. He stood and looked around when a voice spoke from right behind him.

"You-you're Lucifer," Lailah said, "what are you doing here?"

Urushihara looked down. He was his old self; tall, strong, and he had his coat back. It was probably the thing he missed most about Ente Isla.

"I'm here to help you get through your Fall," he said dryly, "so… what's up? You want to talk about it or something?"

Lailah looked around, taking in the brightness and beauty of her inner world. As she stared, black cracks appeared in the blue sky. They wound up and over her, as if she were sitting in a crystal ball that was slowly fracturing.

"I'd rather not," she muttered, looking away from Lucifer.

Urushihara took a seat next to the angel. In her mind, her eyes were still red, and her hair was still silvery white, but the cracks surrounding the beautiful hillside slowly grew larger and larger.

Lailah stared at them fearfully, but Lucifer just chuckled.

"When I left Heaven, no one had ever fallen from Grace," he mused, "now you guys are dropping left and right and I'm supposed to play guidance counselor… I'm not much for feelings, and I'd sooner let you figure this out by yourself but… well, Emi was looking pretty pissed, and we still have to deal with Tsophiel."

"I didn't want my daughter to see me like this… what will she think of me now that I have to choose between using demon magic… or going without magic?"

"Well, she seemed to hate your guts a few hours ago," Lucifer reasoned, "only way to go from here is up."

"You know, you're pretty annoying, Morningstar."

"I get that a lot… but Lailah-"

The rumble of fracturing glass grew loud. The blue sky was spider-webbed with cracks. Just beyond the blue sky, Urushihara could sense the familiar taste of fresh demonic energy, just waiting to be absorbed.

"Look, as an Angel of Night, you'll have some pretty awesome powers… you may even be stronger than you were in Heaven. Now, you can sit here on this hilltop and get devoured by the pain and anger and sadness that's bearing down on you… or you can turn it into power and fight."

"For what?"

"Your husband? Your daughter? I don't care what you fight for. Hell, you could do it just cause you like the way it feels to take a life, I don't give a rat's ass… but if you don't accept what's coming, you'll be washed away by it, and what will that solve?"

The sky dented inward. Shards of blue glass fell and shattered against the flowery hill.

"Peace out," Lucifer said, vanishing from Lailah's side as the blue sky turned black and a tidal wave of negative emotion crashed inward from all sides.

* * *

Lucifer's eyes snapped open. He saw Emi watching him and Lailah closely.

"What's happening?" she asked. "Did you help her?"

"What do you think?" Lucifer grinned, gesturing at Lailah with his chin.

Emi looked down to find Lailah had vanished into thin air. The fires Tsophiel had created were now gone, replaced by an impenetrable fog, and the wailing cries of what sounded like a dragon. The people of Tokyo were frozen like statues below the supernatural battle, their faces twisted into expressions of terror and hopelessness.

Nord had never fought so hard in all his life. Try as he might, he found his connection to Acies-Ara growing tenuous. Each strike seemed to sap her strength, and it wouldn't be long before their connection faded entirely.

'I can't keep this up,' she murmured in Nord's mind.

'Just a little longer, Acies-Ara,' Nord thought back, panting as his own body grew weak and exhausted.

Tsophiel tossed her long lilac braid over her shoulder. She extended an arm out in front of her while drawing back the other, as if she were firing an arrow from a bow. Violet energy crackled, and in her hands appeared a longbow, with an arrow of humming purple light aimed right at Nord's heart.

In that moment, Nord knew he was finished. To say his life flashed before his eyes was a stretch. In reality, all he saw was Emi. He saw his daughter, young and carefree as she smiled up at him.

'I love you, daddy,' she said brightly, beaming at him.

"I love you, Emi," Nord whispered.

Tsophiel released the bowstring, and the arrow lanced down toward the old farmer. Acies-Ara was asleep, and her residual power was all that kept him airborne. Even if Nord moved, he was sure the arrow would follow him. He closed his eyes, not fearing for his life. What was fear when death was only a moment away?

That was when it became hard for Nord to breathe. He found that fear still had a grip on him, and a demonic presence that was both vast and intense appeared right in front of him. Nord opened his eyes, fully expecting to see the Demon King assuming his true form, but instead what he saw scared him even worse.

Lailah hovered before her husband, her enormous black wings spread out behind her, cleaving the sky like massive scimitars. Her dress, once pristine and white, was now black. Her hair was the same dark purple as Lucifer's, and her eyes glowed with violet energy.

Against her black dress and dark hair, her skin looked deathly pale. In her hands she held a black katana that burned with billowing black flames.

"Tsophiel," Lailah muttered darkly, "you have hurt my family. You have sought to destroy this world, and the innocents within it. Even now, I can feel the dread and despair you caused them. I can hear the screams of those whose lives you have affected."

"What of it," Tsophiel asked, nocking another arrow of energy and levelling her aim at Lailah.

"I've spared you thus far because we were friends once. I let you live because I feared Heaven's wrath."

"Spit it out, already," the archangel called, "my fingers are slipping!"

"You've gone and rid me of all the things that have kept me from destroying you up until this point," Lailah murmured. "And now I won't abide by your crude methods any longer."

"Lame," Tsophiel muttered, loosing her arrow.

The energy shot at Lailah, but she deflected it off of the blade of Lucifer's katana. Before Tsophiel could nock another arrow, Lailah had vanished and appeared behind her old comrade, her blade raised to strike.

"Dad, I've got you," Emi said suddenly, swooping in and grabbing her father as his gentle glide downward turned into a freefall.

"Ah! Thank you, dear," Nord huffed, "Acies-Ara is a bit worn out after all the excitement. I can't say I don't envy her little naps."

Emi flew upward once more, dragging her father out of the fog he'd drifted into. The sun had begun to set, and was painting the sky a brilliant blood-red, but Tokyo itself was still grey and silent as Lailah and Tsophiel did battle.

"Wow," Emi said, "look at her go."

Lailah managed to swing the katana just as fast as Tsophiel swung her rapier, which would've snapped from sheer force if it hadn't been an angelic weapon. Their blows rang out like metallic gunshots as they danced to and fro in the air.

"Yes, your mother is an exceptional swordswoman," Nord smiled, "you have her talent."

Emi could hardly believe how the two of them fought. It was almost like watching two expert strategists go head to head in a game of chess. Each would set up an elaborate ruse, only to have it fail and make the slightest change to avoid being defeated.

Tsophiel parried, letting Lailah's blade slide along hers until she locked guards with her. Tsophiel twisted and pushed downward, but Lailah simply caught the weapon in her other hand and pressed Tsophiel back.

"Should we… help?" Alciel asked, watching the two angels as they fought across the Tokyo skyline.

"I think they've got it," Urushihara said, "even without using my sword, Lailah's pretty much got this in the bag. She's an angel of night, and night's falling even faster now that it's autumn."

As Lucifer spoke, the sun vanished below the horizon, sending Tokyo into a state of twilight, and making it easier to see the stars, and the countless constellations that sparkled above the ongoing battle.

* * *

 **TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND WORDS! WE KNOW EACH OTHER SO WELL! YOU MAKE ME HAPPY IN BAD WAYS-Ahem. Sorry, got a little excited. If you're a fan of any of the following, the chapter you just read was probably your favorite thing ever.**

 **-Overused tropes**

 **-Poor grammar, spelling, dialogue,etc.**

 **-Melodramatic speeches**

 **-Angry teenage angst**

 **-Predictable battles**

 **-Incessant scene changes**

 **-Cliché anime fights**

 **-Other (Insert your own gripes here)**

 **Well, that was fun. Here's an interesting bit of info: this wasn't actually in the plotline that I developed at all. I'm just winging it. That said, I suppose this is the official start of the 'War Arc.' Tsophiel, as with all the other OCs in this fucklong fanfiction, is an angel of the bible that I sort of took some creative liberties with. Go ahead and give her a google if you'd like to learn more. The tower she uses as a vantage point is the Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills Building, aka the tallest in Tokyo. Feel free to google that as well to learn more about it. Anyway, I railed this bastard out last night and early this morning. I edited it to some extent, so excuse any major errors. Or don't. Whatever works. I have to admit, it was fun practicing my large-scale battle writing. It's not something I get to do nearly as often as I'd like. Anyway, I think I'll take a little break from writing. Nothing insane, mind you, just a couple weeks to really think up some good moments to squeeze into the main plot. Pleasant days to you all. With any luck, I'll have more for you soon. By the way, sorry for those of you looking for constant MaouxEmi. I was running out of ideas. Let's just say the strongest bonds are forged in the heat of battle. *winks***

 **MUSIC!**

 **Go To War-Nothing More (I've been saving this song for this particular arc)**

 **Gold-EDEN (Holy crap, he's releasing an album guys)**

 **Chop Suey-System of a Down (when angels deserve to die)**

 **Choke-I DON'T KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME (probably how Tsophiel feels... or Emi)**

 **Machines- All Good Things**

 **Hand of Sorrow-Within Temptation**

 **Friendly Fire-Nothing More**

 **And finally, here's to you guys for inspiring me to keep writing this story!**

 **Victorious-Panic! At the Disco**


	31. The Devil and the Hero: Frostbite

As night fell, Lailah's power only grew more intense. She chased Tsophiel through the skies of Tokyo at speeds that would put a fighter jet to shame. Tsophiel turned and slashed with her rapier, sending out a wave of violet flames. Lailah countered with a slash of black flames that resulted in an explosion in the sky between them.

Tsophiel vanished and reappeared, but Lailah appeared a moment later, right on her tail. It happened several times, with Tsophiel vanishing and reappearing elsewhere, only for Lailah to be right next to her, lashing out with the katana she'd borrowed from Lucifer.

"A little demon magic and you suddenly think you're more powerful than me?" Tsophiel scoffed. "Think again, Lailah! You cannot defeat the Vanguard of Heaven."

Lailah opened her eyes wide, and from them shot beams of energy. Tsophiel deflected them before countering with three swift jabs from her rapier, which sent bolts of holy magic hurtling at Lailah before combusting all around her. The resulting smoke hid Lailah from Tsophiel, but the archangel didn't have to wait long for Lailah to emerge.

"HYAH!"

Lailah struck at Tsophiel's shoulder, but pulled back at the last second, ducking down and stabbing her opponent in the calf.

"ARGH!"

Tsophiel kicked at Lailah with her injured leg, but Lailah caught her ankle and held it in an iron grip. Using the fist that was still wrapped around the hilt of her katana, Lailah punched Tsophiel's knee cap, breaking her leg with a gut-wrenching snap as it bent the wrong way.

Tsophiel threw back her head and drew in a deep breath, but her scream was caught in her throat, which Lailah had grabbed after releasing her ankle. Lailah noted the pleading look in Tsophiel's eye, and how terrified the angel looked. The hatred and fear radiating from the angel was like a feast for Lailah, who tightened her grip on Tsophiel's throat.

"Tsophiel," Lailah muttered, her voice so low and sweet she could've been speaking to a lover, "I am not without mercy-"

"Spare… me," Tsophiel gasped, quickly losing her voice as Lailah pressed her fingers harder against the angel's windpipe.

"That's one thing I cannot do," Lailah murmured, planting a gentle kiss on Tsophiel's cheek, and brushing a strand of hair from her enemy's face. "Farewell, sister. I'll make it quick and painless. Say hello to Raphael for me."

Tsophiel beat against Lailah's arm, but it was no use. With a casual flick of her wrist, Tsophiel's neck broke, and her eyes glazed over. Her arms fell limp at her sides, and her rapier slipped from her fingers before impaling itself in the ground below.

Tsophiel's body slowly melted away, leaving a constellation of stars where it had once been. Lailah frowned as she absorbed the last dregs of the archangel's celestial force, noting how the flavor was no longer to her liking.

* * *

For once in his life, the Demon King did not have to clean up after a battle. That duty was left to the fallen angels, Lailah and Urushihara, as they were the most powerful of the group at the moment. Emi texted Chiho, and found that she had gone home for the night, and that Suzuno and Rika were taking care of Alas-Ramus.

"Thank you all for what you have done here, tonight," Mikitty said, looking at the men of the group as though she'd like nothing better than to reward them all with kisses. She winked at Nord, but the man turned green for a moment before Lailah grabbed his head and pulled it to her bosom, where he then struggled to draw breath as Lailah glared at Mikitty.

The world was set to rights once again. The night sky sparkled brilliantly above their heads. As one, Maou and Ashiya clicked their fingers, and suddenly time seemed to remember that it had a job to do. Cars rolled down the street. A few people slammed on their breaks, but no one crashed. All in all, it was a fairly thorough clean up.

"As a token of my esteem, I will now transport you all to the Villa Rosa, free of charge. Also, to the guests of the house, feel free to use the downstairs rooms. They are furnished with beds and heaters," Mikitty said. She raised a hand and wiggled her fingers at everyone, her various gaudy rings clinking together as they all turned translucent and then vanished.

"Aunt Miki, is there anything else you need," Amane asked wearily, coming up and brushing off her jeans.

"No, dear. Not at the moment. I'll call you if anything changes," the shorter, stouter woman said.

Amane nodded, slowly trudging off towards her van as Mikitty disappeared as well.

"Why can't I have stupid teleportation powers," Amane grumbled, "stupid fog… stupid dragon."

* * *

"Alas-Ramus!" Emi and Maou said, each vying for the girl's attention as they barged into Suzuno's apartment.

"Come to papa, sweetie!"

"No, come to mama, dear!"

Emi and Maou glared at each other.

"I think you should wait your turn," Maou muttered darkly.

"No way! You get to be bonded with her. That means I get to hold her whenever I want when I come to visit," Emi replied, her eyebrow twitching.

"Don't you two ever get tired of fighting," Urushihara asked, poking his head into Suzuno's apartment. "I mean, we just got done fighting for our lives… we haven't been back five minutes… and you're already right back at it."

Emi turned to glare at Lucifer, "Don't you have a closet to go and hide in, NEET?"

"What the hell?! I just saved your mother! How about a little gratitude, you ungrateful-"

Maou slammed the door in Urushihara's face, causing him to howl in pain from the other side of the door.

"You could've broken my nose, you asshole!" Lucifer shouted

Maou and Emi were both too busy, however, as they were still competing for Alas-Ramus' attention. The girl was fastened to a kitchen chair with the obi from one of Suzuno's kimono's, which was done across the girl's waist like a seat-belt. Suzuno and Rika had been taking turns experimenting with Alas-Ramus' diet.

"Ok, she can eat dry foods," Rika told Maou and Emi, "but it's better to start off with something soft."

"I hope she likes MgRonalds," Maou said.

"No way! You are _not_ feeding our daughter fast food," Emi snapped, untying Alas-Ramus and picking her up from the chair.

"Why not? The burgers are juicy, and she'll need the protein. This girl is going to be the Demon Princess! And some day, when I'm gone, she'll be the Demon Queen!"

"Don't force your ideals on a malleable young girl," Emi chastised, "she can be whatever she wants! Isn't that right you little cutie?"

"Demon Pwincess," Alas-Ramus cried happily, "I wanna be a Demon Pwincess!"

Maou grinned and crossed his arms at Emi, who looked dumbstruck.

"You heard her, Emi," he grinned. "She wants to be a Demon Princess."

"Bullshit! She's just repeating what you said… watch. Alas-Ramus, would you like to be a Hero, like mama?"

"Hewo," Alas-Ramus asked, considering the word carefully.

Emi smiled at the girl, "Yeah, a Hero like mama! Doesn't that sound fun?"

Alas-Ramus rubbed her chin, obviously doing some very serious soul-searching.

"No! I wanna be a Demon Pwincess! I wanna eat juicy buwgewz with papa," she said, clapping and smiling at the Devil.

Emi turned red in the face as Maou fought the urge to laugh and rub it in.

"Don't feel bad, Emi," Maou giggled, "you did your best, but face it, demons have more fun. And fun is what Alas-Ramus is all about, right?"

"Right," the little girl agreed.

"In that case, daddy and you can have fun together while mama does some shopping," Emi said, handing Alas-Ramus to her papa. Maou was unsure of Emi's intentions until he caught a whiff of something foul.

"Wha-what the hell is that?!"

"Her diaper is full," Emi smirked, "give me some cash so I can go out and get more."

"And I have to hold her… while you go out and get baby supplies," Maou asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, sorry, Maou, but I didn't exactly plan on having a child dropped into my freaking lap today," Emi said sarcastically, holding out her hand for money.

Maou breathed through his mouth, but that only made things worse, and the stench seemed to stick in his throat.

"Talk to Ashiya… ask him about the Super-Secret Emergency Fund. When he asks for the passcode, say 'The Demon King shall reign again,'" Maou whispered.

"I'm not saying that," Emi said, crossing her arms.

"Then I guess Alas-Ramus will just have to use one of my old shirts as a diaper," Maou said, "because I'm broke."

"HOW?!"

"I just paid my rent! Maybe you don't understand little things like this, but it's not easy supporting two or three people on a MgRonalds salary!"

"You're so pathetic," Emi moaned, headed for the door.

"Coming from the girl who just lost her job, I wouldn't be talking," Maou jeered.

"Shut up," Emi snapped, going red in the face before slamming Suzuno's door.

Suzuno was cooking, even though it was pretty late, and most everyone else was winding down for the day. She turned to Maou and said, "Perhaps you should talk things over with Emilia. Arguing in front of Alas-Ramus is detrimental to her upbringing."

"Oh? And having her stay with you two isn't?"

Maou regretted his words immediately, as both Rika and Suzuno turned to survey him with looks of pure, undiluted murderous intent.

"I have been studying babies and their habits for years," Rika said quietly, "I've wanted to work with them for as long as I can remember! I was going to be a pediatrician!"

"I've raised more children than you've ever even met, Satan," Suzuno scowled, taking Alas-Ramus from her papa. Much to Maou's dismay, the child didn't cry out. Suzuno gave Maou's ear a flick that could be heard from in the next room, like the crack of a whip. The Devil doubled over in pain, and Suzuno laid Alas-Ramus on the table, quickly and expertly taking care of her soiled diaper, and cutting a new one from a length of fresh white cloth she stored in her closet. She folded it perfectly in a matter of seconds, and presented Alas-Ramus back to the Devil in a freshly made cloth diaper.

"I'll make up a few more and teach you and Emi how to fold them. They are washable, but they will stain over time. I'll also put together a list of things you should get for Alas-Ramus. My methods are a little dated, so Rika will be helping me to pick out the very best toys and necessities for her as well. I'll be expecting Emi to get the same items for when she takes care of Alas-Ramus, and should I see either of you putting yourselves ahead of her, I will not hesitate to kidnap her until you both shape the hell up!"

"Same goes for me," Rika said, trying and failing to look intimidating in the face of the rather disconcerted Demon King.

"Are there any questions, good Sadao?"

"Uuuh."

"Good, then get out of here. Dinner will be served shortly, and you have guests to settle in downstairs. The landlady appointed you to help any and all guests with their living needs, did she not?"

Maou frowned, wondering privately when such arrangements were made as he bundled Alas-Ramus in a blanket and made his way outside. He came to a stop at the foot of the metal stairs, peering along the front of the building for the door downstairs.

"Well, what the hell," Maou said quietly, "I could've sworn the door was on the front."

"Thewe, papa," Alas-Ramus said, pointing through the steps of the staircase at a blindingly white door that Maou had somehow missed.

"Thanks, Alas-Ramus," Maou smiled.

All at once, the absurdity of that afternoon, which almost felt as though it had been days ago, seemed to sink its fangs into Maou. He realized, with a shudder, that Alas-Ramus was his daughter. He was responsible for her upbringing. They were bound together, whether Maou willed it or no.

"Wet's go inside," the girl said, "it's cowd."

"Huh? Oh, sure thing, sweetie, I just have to go check on Lailah and Nord."

Making his way around the stairwell, Maou found that the door to the lower level was directly underneath his own; a fact which shouldn't have gotten the better of him so easily. It only made sense that the lower level would be the same as the upper levels.

'Cut yourself some slack, man,' Maou thought, 'you're a father, you have more important things on your mind… and you didn't even get to do the dirty stuff in order to make this kid!'

With a sigh, the Devil made his way into the lower portions of the Villa Rosa Sasazuka, where he found both of the apartment doors standing open, with light pouring out of both rooms. From the door nearest him, Maou heard the distinct sound of chewing, and the crackling of wax paper, much like he used when wrapping food for customers at work.

Maou rapped lightly on the doorframe before rounding the corner and entering the room, whereupon he was met by the most terrifyingly horrid mess he'd ever laid eyes on.

Acies-Ara, whom had taken up residency of the room, was reading a light novel and munching happily on what seemed to be a MgRonalds bag, filled to the brim with double cheeseburgers. The only thing in the apartment, aside from the clutter of crumpled and discarded wax paper from double cheeseburgers and empty french fry containers was an inflatable mattress. Six supersized fountain drink cups sat on the floor along the bedside, two of which were emptied while a third was quickly drained of its contents.

"Oh, hey Demon Lord King Satan!"

"Uh, just Demon King or Demon Lord is fine… not all at once," Maou muttered, amazed by the size of the mess the Yesod fragment had made in a couple of hours. Acies-Ara smiled and waved at Maou, who raised a hand rather half-heartedly. Alas-Ramus began to squirm in his arms.

"Sistah!"

"Alas-Ramus!"

Acies-Ara scooped her sister right out of Maou's arms and the two girls hugged, both of them looking jovial and carefree as they spun on the spot. Maou couldn't help but wonder how it felt to be separate pieces of a whole. Something told him it had to be a lonely existence, and whenever they met another fragment, it was probably the only thing they had to remind them that they are not alone.

The thought was quickly washed away by Acies-Ara tossing Alas-Ramus into the air, and Maou's heart stopped for a moment. Acies caught her sister, but the Devil swooped in and stole Alas away before she could be tossed again.

"I'm just going to assume your stay is to your liking?" Maou asked coldly, squeezing Alas-Ramus into his side for fear of dropping her.

"Oh, yes! Well, it's a little drafty, but the heater definitely helps," Acies said, "plus, mama got me burgers! Fifty double cheeseburgers! And ten large fries!"

As he hadn't eaten yet, even the food that Maou dealt with on a daily basis sounded delicious, and his stomach gurgled violently. Acies paused before devouring another double cheeseburger, looking from the sandwich, to the Demon King, and then back again. She held it out for him to take.

"Here," she said bashfully.

Maou took the sandwich, thanking the girl before very nearly biting into it himself. Alas-Ramus, however, looked on with great envy.

"Here you go," Maou said, tearing off a little chunk and holding it for Alas to take.

She nibbled on it gingerly for a moment before her eyes lit up, and before Maou could tell her to slow down, she'd pounded down the entire burger, leaving nothing but ketchup smeared wax-paper.

"Whoa! You must be hungry. Didn't Suzuno feed you?" Maou wondered.

Alas-Ramus nodded happily.

"Yesod fragments consume much more food than your average human," said a voice from behind Maou, "Acies here could put away three great mutton drums and two loaves of bread by herself when she was first born."

Nord Justina leaned against the doorway, smiling knowingly at the Demon King for a moment before he realized who it was he was conversing with.

"Is there something I can help you with, Satan?" he asked, sounding a little less familiar.

"I guess I'm sort of your link to the landlady," Maou shrugged, "so if there's anything you guys need from her… let me know. Or I can give you her number, too, if you like. I just came down to make sure you were all comfortable."

"Yes, we're quite content," Nord said, his eyes still trained on Maou with suspicion, "the beds here on Earth are much more agreeable with my back than the ones in Ente Isla."

"I sleep in a sleeping bag," Maou mused, "you'd know more about that than me."

The Devil seemed focused on something else entirely for a moment before he came too once more, the faraway look in his eyes vanishing as quickly as it had appeared.

"Have you guys eaten, yet? Suzuno is making food for everyone."

"I could eat," Acies-Ara said excitedly through a mouthful of french fries.

"Chew your food, Acies," Nord grumbled, taking off his spectacles and massaging the bridge of his nose. The man looked a little older now. His age seemed more defined in the way that he moved carefully, as if every step caused him discomfort.

"Well, there will be food soon. You can come up now, or we can have someone come and get you when its done," Maou offered.

"Later would probably be best," Nord said, scratching his chin thoughtfully, "Lailah is resting at the moment. She will need some time to recuperate."

"I have medical supplies, too," Maou added. "You know, basic stuff like gauze and disinfectant… just in case… y'know… you need it."

"Yes- erm- thank you, but we're all fine. Nothing that won't heal by itself, anyway… how is Emilia?" Nord asked suddenly.

"She went to get some supplies for Alas-Ramus," Maou frowned. "She seems… fine."

The farmer and the Devil faced each other for a moment, both of them trying to comprehend the ridiculously thin thread that bound them together, and made them allies in such strange times. When it became clear Nord was at a loss for conversation topics, Maou decided to cut his losses.

"I'll let Ashiya know to set three more places, then," said Maou, nodding to Nord as he quickly made his escape from the chilly downstairs section of the apartment building, and the mind-numbing awkwardness that haunted its walls, like some sort of annoying specter.

* * *

When Emi returned to the Devil's Castle, she was weighed down quite heavily by bags, all of which were laden with toys, diapers, teaching tools, and other essentials for raising children. She'd also stopped by the liquor store, and from within an inconspicuous brown paper bag she pulled several bottles of the strongest, cheapest wine she could find.

"Excuse me, Hero, but just what are you thinking bringing that infernal poison into my lord's castle?" Ashiya asked.

His brow was beaded with sweat from hovering over the stove, lovingly tending to the various side dishes. As the stoves in the upper apartments were quite small, and the number of people eating was quite large, it helped to have two ranges and ovens working independently to achieve the same goals. Suzuno was concentrated more on the main course while Ashiya prepared all the rest, including dessert.

"Well, I figured everyone could use a drink," Emi reasoned, "considering how shitty things have been. But if you'd rather go without, more for me."

"Tch," Ashiya tutted, shaking his head as he turned back to the stove, where a pot was beginning to boil over and hiss violently.

"Um, Emi? Are you sure that's a good idea?" Maou asked.

"Come on, Maou, Alas-Ramus won't be able to get it. I'll keep the bottles on the counter," Emi reasoned.

"No, Emi, I was… I was talking about our prior experience," Maou said quietly.

Emi blushed the shade of a beet, but she kept her face straight as she fiddled with the braid in her red hair.

"That why I only got wine," she murmured, "nothing crazy."

Soon enough, thanks to the combined culinary genius of Ashiya and Suzuno, Maou's table was laden with so much food that Suzuno's table had to be brought in as well. On the Demon Fortress's table were a wide variety of dishes ranging from onigiri to tempura. There were also a wide variety of noodles, in just about every configuration you could ever want them.

On Suzuno's table, which stood taller than Maou's due to the fact that it came with chairs, was an enormous electric oven roaster, filled to the brim with gyudon. When Suzuno had set it down on her table, its wooden legs had groaned piteously.

"Even your table disparages your cooking," Ashiya noted, grinning wickedly at Suzuno.

"You food preparation is as lame and uninspired as ever," Crestia Bell replied scathingly.

Even with their lack of animosity, and the presence of good food, everyone couldn't help but notice that the atmosphere was not quite as lively and kindred as it had once been. It may have been all the new guests, but a more calculated guess would pin the recently fallen angel, Lailah, as the cause of the silence that followed Ashiya's and Suzuno's snide remarks.

The woman was still wearing her dress, which was as black as night, and shimmered violet in the light. She sat in a corner with Nord and Acies on either side of her, staring off into space as her fingers traced the rim of her wine glass. Her new hair and eye color seemed appropriately tuned to her new mood, as she paid very little heed to the failed attempts around her to spark a lively conversation.

"You should eat, darling," Nord muttered. "Have you even touched your gyudon?"

"I've no appetite," Lailah said quietly, handing her plate to Acies-Ara, who quickly set her own empty plate aside to devour Lailah's uneaten meal.

The fallen angel stood, smoothing out the wrinkles from her dress as she carefully weaved through everyone to get to the door. Maou looked up from trying to give Alas-Ramus a bite of ramen to watch her go. Before Lailah left the room, she turned to address everyone within it.

"Everyone… we appreciate your hospitality, but if you have chosen not to help us, I'm afraid Nord, Acies, and I must return to Ente Isla," she announced grimly.

A grave silence pressed against Maou's ears, almost as if he were underwater. Looking around, he saw the faces of his allies, old and new. Emi looked unsure, and she glanced at Maou only to find him staring at her. She stared back, and that seemed to awaken him from his reverie.

"We never said we weren't going to help you-" Maou started to say.

"So you will?" Lailah asked suddenly, sweeping over to Maou and kneeling next to him. "Oh, thank you-"

"I never said we were going to help, either," Maou said sternly, stopping Lailah in her tracks and leaving her looking up at him, dumbstruck, "This is a decision we _all_ have to make. We need to talk. To plan. I can't speak for everyone present, but if they're all agreeable, then we can start to discuss strategy."

"Maou," Emi said warningly, "I'm not sure we should help them."

Emi's words cut through both Nord and Lailah like a razor blade. They stared at her sadly. Lailah felt her eyes burn and her vision became blurry as she began to cry. She'd fallen from Grace… and her daughter still didn't trust her?

"That's why I said we need to talk. _Yo_ u need the truth," Maou said, nodding to the Hero, "we all need to know the details. We need to be filled in- no more vague stories or what-ifs. I want solid, concrete answers. I want all of Emi's questions answered, and I want to be sure that your plans end with everyone here getting out alive."

"Not sure there's time for all that," Lailah said nervously, twirling a lock of her violet hair around a finger, "very little time… not safe to be here…"

"I'm not the little helpless demon I once was, Lailah," Maou said confidently, "you'll be safe here with me, with us. Trust me, we won't let Heaven get to you, Nord, or Acies. It's the least we can do to repay your sacrifice."

Lailah stared at the ground, thinking hard. Her lips moved, almost as though she were doing an advanced mathematics problem in her head, and making sure all of her work was accurate. Finally, she looked up and took a shaky breath, her face grim.

"We'll stay for a couple days at most," Lailah said. "If we can convince you all to take part in the plan, then we'll all leave for Ente Isla, and from there… Heaven."

"Very well," Maou said, holding out a hand for Lailah to shake.

The fallen angel hesitated for a moment before reaching out and taking the Devil's hand. In the back of Lailah's mind, she couldn't help but be impressed with the Demon King. He'd grown so much since he was that weak, scrawny goblin that cried as he waited for death. It seemed absurd that this young man was actually the Demon King, the same one that had very nearly conquered the world.

"The bargain is struck," Lailah said breathlessly, withdrawing her hand and standing. She brushed off her dress and curtsied to Maou and his compatriots before excusing herself, and making her way out towards the stairs.

"Hey, be careful on those-"

"WaaAAAAAAA-UGH!"

"…stairs," Maou finished quietly.

Emi's eyes flashed with concern, but Nord simply sighed and combed his hand through his hair. He took a look at the watch on his wrist before scooping up Acies-Ara, whom had fallen asleep, and following Lailah out the door.

"I suppose that's my cue to leave… goodness knows that woman is clumsy," Nord muttered, smiling lightly as everyone cleared a path for him. The sound of his slow, steady footsteps was loud as everyone waited for Nord to fall, but he didn't. Instead, they heard him help Lailah to her feet, ask after her wellbeing, and then usher her into the downstairs portion of the building, all while Acies clung to him, snoozing away peacefully.

"Wow, Emi," Rika said, "your dad is so…"

Rika was at a loss for words, but Emi new exactly what her friend was saying. Nord Justina was possessed of a certain calming presence, almost as if he carried his title as a father with him wherever he went, and wore it on his sleeve.

Even in the midst of being an outsider from another world, and coming from the life of a simple wheat farmer, Emi's father had seen incredible things. Through it all, he'd managed to remain unshaken, steadfast, and just as caring as he'd always been. Even the Devil couldn't help but be impressed.

* * *

That night was a casual affair for the people inhabiting the Villa Rosa Sasazuka. Alas-Ramus looked on at the adults as they sipped wine and talked in hushed tones, but as much suspense hung in the air, and for as excited or nervous everyone was, they found that discussing ideas and battle plans only left them talking in circles, and throwing out obvious facts. Even Ashiya, the most skilled and renowned tactician of the Demon Army, was hard pressed to brainstorm after his third glass of wine, which he took to with a fondness unlike any Maou had ever seen him indulge in before.

"What if-hic- we… um…. Dammit all, Rika, what was I about to say?"

"I don't know," she smiled sweetly, rubbing the Demon General's back as he hiccupped again. When Rika noticed Emi's watchful eyes upon her, she quickly stopped, and kept her hands carefully folded in her lap from then on.

Emi just scowled and sipped on her wine. Aside from Ashiya, she had been the most deteriorating to the bottles of wine she'd bought, though unlike Ashiya, who was getting slightly intoxicated and somewhat loud, or the others, who simply sipped their glasses and chatted lightly, Emi remained silent. She sat, lost in her own thoughts, unaware of the concerned glances Maou shot at her every few minutes.

Even when the Hero was sulking, Maou couldn't help but love the way she looked. Her brow was furrowed, and her lips were pursed as she pouted slightly. Her chin was rested in her hands, and her glazed eyes seemed focused on something a million miles away. Her hair was messy, her cheeks and nose were touched with red, and she swirled her wine glass, which was running low again. She heaved a sigh and set her glass down, reaching for the bottle of wine. She upended the bottle, only to have it run dry after a few droplets. No one looked at Emi, though all conversation came to a stop as she uncorked another bottle. She disregarded the different types of wine and simply filled her glass to the brim, which she slopped a little as she brought it to her lips.

Maou watched her, his heart beating and his eyes wide. Somehow, it hurt just to watch her suffer in silence. It made him want to hug her to his chest until she let her emotions out and confided in him. Apparently, the thought of holding Emi made Maou tense up, because he felt Alas-Ramus squirm.

"Too tight, papa," she grumbled, opening her eyes to frown at Maou.

"Sorry, Alas-Ramus," Maou sighed, loosening his hold so that the girl could rest a bit more easily.

Emi seemed to notice Alas-Ramus' stirring, and she quickly set her glass down and held out her arms towards Maou.

"Hand her to me, papa," Emi said quietly.

Her smile seemed a little forced, as though she were trying to convince Maou that she was fine, but the Devil shook his head, frowning at Emi.

"You've had a bit too much to drink," Maou said. "Let her rest. I've got her all taken care of."

"Don't tell me that I can't hold my child," Emi growled, her smile twitching for a moment. Her green eyes became much less friendly.

"She has a point, Sadao," Suzuno mumbled tiredly, "Emi cannot spend as much time with her, so she should be allowed to hold Alas-Ramus when she visits."

"But-" Maou stammered.

His arguments were cut short with everyone shooting him warning looks, like ' _Don't piss her off when she's drunk!_ ' So Maou heaved a sigh and handed Alas-Ramus to Emi, who grinned ear to ear, her anger obliterated by the glorious little bundle of warm adorableness.

"She's so cute," Emi smiled, her eyes bright as she stared at her adopted daughter.

Looking at Emi now; how carefully she cradled Alas-Ramus in her arms, and how her eyes seemed to light up, made Maou catch his breath for his moment. It seemed strange that fate would hand him such a burden, but looking at his new daughter, and his daughter's mother, Maou couldn't help but think he was the luckiest demon alive, and that had nothing to do with being the King of Demon Realm.

The tension from moments ago was lifted, and everyone smiled tiredly at Emi and Alas-Ramus. Rika tugged on Ashiya's sleeve, and together they stood, said their goodbyes, put on their shoes and coats, and left. Suzuno followed suit, and Lucifer stalked off to his closet shortly after. Maou was sure he'd heard the sound of magic as Urushihara vanished and reappeared, more than likely, in Suzuno's room.

"I should probably get going," Emi said, looking thoroughly miserable at the prospect.

"You could stay the night," Maou offered.

Emi looked at Maou, watching him closely, but it seemed as though his words were genuine. She smiled, and turned to gaze at Alas-Ramus once more before nodding.

"Yeah, ok," she said finally. "Should we tuck her in?"

"Sure thing, mama," Maou smiled.

The plan was perfect. Emi would set up the bed, and Maou would carry Alas-Ramus over to it, using his steady, quiet footsteps and gentle grip to lay her down without waking her. Emi would then cover up the slumbering toddler. It was a good plan, but the moment Maou laid the girl on the folded sleeping bag, her eyes shot open. Before he could draw his arm away and have Emi lay the covers on her, a pudgy fist shot out and gripped Maou by the neckline of his shirt.

"Papa, awen't you gonna sweep with me?" Alas-Ramus asked, rubbing her eyes with her other little fist.

Maou felt as though he'd been grabbed by a hand of god, because the grip on his shirt was immovable, and far stronger than he could've anticipated. Fear shot through him- the Demon King- because this little girl suddenly displayed more strength than he'd felt in his entire life.

"Papa?" Alas-Ramus asked, looking into Maou's fearful red eyes.

"I'll lay down with you later, Alas-Ramus," Maou promised, fixing a stiff smile into place to ease his daughter's discontent.

"Mama too?"

"Yeah, mama too," he said, his eyes meeting Emi's as the fear quickly faded. Emi seemed to pick up on it, though, and she quickly nodded and smiled at her daughter as well. Together, the parents managed to settle the girl down to the point where she quickly drifted off to sleep once more, her tiny fist losing its grip on Maou and falling across her chest as her large amethyst eyes fluttered and closed. Her breathing slowed, and Maou and Emi slipped away from the corner, where they had set Alas-Ramus to sleep, just far enough from the heater to where she would be safe and comfortable.

Maou and Emi stayed up late that night, trying to talk about being parents, figuring out schedules for taking care of Alas-Ramus, and overall just getting acclimatized to the groove of parenting. Maou managed to find some pens and paper, and they quickly took notes of other things they would need. Emi had gotten diapers, wipes, a few miscellaneous toys, and some little dresses for Alas-Ramus, but there were still other things to consider.

"I'll need a seat for her on Dullahan," Maou said.

"Japanese law says you can only have one person on a bike," Emi said, taking another gulp from her glass of wine, "and I'm not sure that I feel comfortable with Alas-Ramus on a bicycle."

"The law makes exceptions for people that have children… toddlers should fall under that," Maou rubbed the top of his head, trying to dull the ache as he scribbled on his paper, "I'll check and see if there are any sort of permits or applications that need submitting. Speaking of which, how are we supposed to register Alas-Ramus? Should we get her citizenship?"

"That probably isn't a good idea. We'll be accused of conceiving out of wedlock, plus there will be files missing; birth certificates, and the like. Maybe we should get a cover story for her?"

"Like what?"

Emi and Maou locked eyes, sharing a small smile as they commiserated in the pain of planning for parenthood. Fighting against an enemy was one thing, but being responsible for something other than themselves seemed to carry a certain weight, a responsibility that neither of them had ever felt before. Commanding an army was different. Chances were, as the leaders of their respective armies, they didn't fight in battles. They received reports, directed troops, and generally never felt the direct ramifications. Plus, they were never required to change any diapers. Being a parent, it seemed, was a war all its own, and the Devil and the Hero were stuck navigating this uncharted territory together, with no shoulders to lean on except each others.

"You know what, let's just not register her, and say she's our daughter. If anyone starts to ask anything too personal or specific, we'll just change subjects."

"Sounds like a plan," Emi agreed.

They gently clinked their glasses together. Emi and Maou froze for a moment when they heard a rustling from the dark corner Alas-Ramus had been asleep in, but they soon heard her breathing return to its normal, steady pace, and they silently celebrated with another draught of wine.

After it became clear that no other parental planning would take place, either due to alcohol consumption or lack of ideas, Maou and Emi laid down on either side of Alas-Ramus. The girl smiled in her sleep and reached out, taking both of her parent's hands in her own before bringing them together. Maou looked at Emi over the small form of Alas-Ramus, noting that the Hero looked somewhat mortified. Her hand trembled beneath Maou's, which was locked in place by Alas-Ramus' arms as she hugged their hands to her small chest.

Maou smiled awkwardly and laid his head down so that he could sleep, trying to ignore how soft and warm Emi's hand was, and how tightly his daughter clung to her parents.

* * *

Emi awoke an hour later to find Alas and Maou snoozing. The Devil was smiling in his sleep, his hand resting on Emi's. She carefully pulled it away from him, and pried her arm from Alas-Ramus's surprisingly powerful grip. She crept for the door, but paused by the counter. She turned, seeing a bottle of wine.

'You're already pretty drunk,' a voice in her head whispered, 'just go outside and take a breather… take a second to think.'

The more Emi stared at the bottle, the more she realized that thinking was her problem. She'd been doing far too much of it. With a sigh of self loathing, she grabbed the bottle of wine and her purse, forgoing her coat and her boots to go sit outside in the cold, where no one could judge her as she drank herself into a stupor.

As soon as she stepped out into the front hall, she felt herself shiver. It was especially cold, as though winter had come a season early. She smiled sadly before uncapping the bottle and taking a hearty swig. The potent wine burned down her throat, and suddenly she regained the heat in her gut. Her limbs still felt a little chilled and her toes were numb, but she simply chalked it up to not drinking enough. The headache she'd been suffering from since she'd met her mother seemed to throb even more painfully, so she took another heavy gulp of wine before creeping over to the door leading outside and slipping through it.

Emi took a seat on the top step. The moon was beautiful and bright above her, bathing the scene in a silvery incandescence. Her blurry vision seemed to shift, as though she were seeing things differently, like a veil had been pulled from her eyes. The streets, the signs, the buildings: none of it seemed real or important. The only thing that mattered, the only thing that existed, was that white light shimmering down from the sky. Emi stared at the moon, noting how it seemed to be shining even brighter, as though it were finally glad to have someone who truly appreciated its glory.

But the moon seemed to have a sick sense of humor, for it reminded Emi of her mother's hair, before it had turned violet and dark.

Emi's mother, Lailah, the archangel, who'd suddenly had the nerve to come to her after eighteen long years and beg for her help. The mother who'd abandoned her. The mother who'd spirited Emi's father away, and let Emi think he was dead.

Her grip on the wine bottle tightened for a moment. She managed to stop herself from shattering it, but the bottle fractured and spider webbed. Emi shrugged and put the bottle to her lips once more. She winced when she cut her upper lip on a crack in the bottle, but she kept on drinking, guzzling the wine until the bottle. It had been full, but now it was more than halfway empty. It was a red wine, and now that it had been mixed with her own blood, Emi figured it was truly red. The iron taste wasn't much to her liking, but she didn't buy the drink for its flavor.

Even as Emi stared at the street, she felt the cold eat away at her. She hugged herself, staring intently at the concrete as she waited for the alcohol to kick in. Sadly, she felt nothing, save for the light buzz from earlier, and the fire within her faded as she felt her mind grow clear. Like a carousel, the names of the people on her mind spun around in her head.

Lailah. Nord. Maou. Alas-Ramus. Suzuno. Urushihara. Ashiya. Rika. Chiho. Raphael.

The names of Emi's friends, family, and comrades seemed to churn within her head, each one bringing on its own traits and memories and feelings. But why was she still feeling? The alcohol was supposed to stop Emi from feeling anything. The Hero sighed, and her hands shook as she pulled her purse into her lap and fumbled with its clasp.

-Lailah, Nord, Maou, Alas-Ramus-

Emi's fingers dug through make up and other feminine products, searching for it- she knew she'd put it in her purse.

-LAILAH, NORD, MAOU, RAPHAEL-

Emi pulled a bottle from within her purse. It was her insurance, the thing she knew would help her feel better, no matter what… at least, it had helped her before. She looked at the bottle guiltily, a fierce internal battle raging within her as she stared at the liquor.

Within her mind, she heard the echoes of her consciousness, telling her that she was stronger than this, and that the alcohol would only numb the ache for a time. Emi could hardly hear it though, not over the sound of the chorus of voices that screamed at her-

LAILAH, RAPHAEL, MAOU, BELIEL, NORD, LAILAH, BERNAEL, TSOPHIEL, LAILAH, MAOU-

The voices seemed to tear through her. Before Emi knew it, she'd opened the bottle and stared into its amber depths. She could smell it, the burning scent of sweet relief from the screaming in her head. It would purge her overwhelming thoughts like Tsophiel's holy fire.

Emi brought the bottle to her lips, chugging as much as she could. It scorched down her throat, but the guilt burned far worse, like napalm on her tongue. She choked and spluttered, coughing as she thumped her chest. Within moments, her head was spinning. Her limbs were numb from the cold, and soon her mind would follow suit. The bottle of liquor was smaller, as it had been a bit more expensive than the wine, but the bottle was already more than two thirds of the way gone. Emi felt tears come to her face as the thought of her mother quickly became infected by the booze. Perhaps the rest of the bottle would help to sooth her suffering…

Emi brought the bottle to her lips, but the moment the burn touched her tongue, she felt her stomach tug, and something rose in her throat. She stood and threw her head over the railing of the stairs, retching as she was sick over the side. She swayed, her knees wobbly as her world swayed to and fro, like a boat at sea.

The cold, hard steel of the railing was all that seemed to hold her steady, but even that seemed to sway beneath her grip. She could've sworn she had been upset about something, but for the moment it was forgotten. Emi released the railing, and suddenly she lost her balance. She felt as though she might fall down the stairs, but instead she fell back against the Villa Rosa, catching herself against the wall. She slid down the side of the building before sitting on the cold metal steps once more, unable to move as she felt everything around her become unseated and unstable. If she stood to go back inside, she was sure she would fall down the steps and end up seriously injured… or worse.

"Emi, are you ok?" asked a voice behind her.

Emi turned, her glazed eyes wide as she saw a pair of bare feet, sweatpants and a sweatshirt. It was Maou, looking quite uneasy and tired. His hair was messy, and he rubbed his eyes. He stared at Emi, as though analyzing her, but the Hero turned away.

"Is… Emi, is that liquor?"

Emi looked down on the step beside her, only to find the little bottle of liquor there, standing next to the half empty bottle of wine.

"What if it is?" Emi muttered. Her speech was slurred and filled with a bitterness and contempt that Maou had never heard. She was angry, or frustrated, but what about, or at whom was beyond his grasp. Maou took a seat on the step next to Emi, who quickly stowed the bottles away and stashed them in her purse. Maou could smell the burn of heavy alcohol, and he could see it take effect as Emi stared out into the night, her eyes unfocused and weary. Her breath smelled like bile, and Maou saw she had a few little bits of sick stuck in her hair. He reached out to carefully pick them out, causing Emi to flinch.

"You've got puke in your hair," Maou said, sifting through her magenta locks to remove the worst of it.

Strangely, Emi didn't feel angry at Maou. She felt grateful for his help, and for the way he didn't seem to look down on her. It was as though he'd managed to pick up on her feelings, which probably wasn't too far off from the truth, seeing as he could sense human emotions.

"Come on, Emi," Maou said, "the bath houses are opening soon, and you're looking a little… blue."

Emi thought Maou was talking about her mood, but he reached out and took Emi's hand in his, looking over her fingers, which were deathly pale, and starting to look frostbitten. Emi wasn't quite sure how to express her gratitude, so instead she just muttered, "I can't feel my toes."

Maou bent down and inspected them more closely. It turned out that Emi's feet were far worse than her hands.

"Holy hell, Emi, that does _not_ look good," Maou muttered.

Before Emi could object, which would've been difficult anyway, given her level of intoxication, Maou picked the Hero up like a princess in a fairy tale, and he quickly carried her into his apartment, setting her down silently on the floor as he rummaged through a pile of sleeping bags. Emi turned, and through the fog in her eyes, she saw Alas-Ramus, slumbering soundly.

Emi's throat tightened. She had a daughter… how could she be so stupid? How could she have disregarded how confused Alas-Ramus would be if she saw her mama behaving like this? Emi held very still to avoid waking Alas-Ramus while Maou found his personal sleeping bag, which was the heaviest, warmest one, and quickly zipped Emi up inside of it.

"Ok, Emi, I'm gonna pick you up again. Put your arms around my neck, ok?" Maou asked.

Emi nodded, barely comprehending the situation. The Devil's eyes seemed to burn through the darkness of his apartment, so Emi reached up and threw her arms about his neck. She felt her body leave the floor, and Maou quickly carried her to the door, all without waking their slumbering daughter.

They made their way out of the apartment and the front corridor. Maou had to turn to go down the stairs sideways. Emi expected the cold to hit her like a nasty sucker punch, but Maou's eyes shined brightly, and he seemed to glow with a strange heat that enfolded Emi and kept her warm, almost as though he were a human furnace.

Maou came to a stop in the yard of the Villa Rosa, looking around so that he could correctly judge the directions. Emi stared into his face, which was very close to hers, and the only thing that wasn't shifting around hazily. He looked worried, and his brow was beaded with sweat. He met her gaze and grinned for a moment.

"Please don't hurl on me," he muttered.

"What do you-"

Emi's slow words were blown away by a burst of wind in her ears as Maou took to the skies. The heat he emanated seemed to burn hotter, and he soared through the dark skies of Tokyo on a luxuriously heated breeze.

After less than a minute of flight, Mao and Emi touched down next to a building that Emi recognized as a bathhouse, the exact same one she'd infiltrated when she had been stalking the Demon King and his General.

"Come on, Emi," Maou groaned, "let's get you into a bath."

He kicked open the door, only to find a large, balding man peeling off his pants, and revealing a speedo that did not conceal nearly enough skin, in Maou's opinion.

"Hey, this is guys only," the older man said, covering his shame, "get her out of here!"

"It's an emergency," Maou muttered, making to walk right by the man, only to be cut off by him.

"I don't care! Take her to the hospital or something, this is the guys' locker room!"

"Get the fuck out of my way, old man," Maou snarled, staring daggers at the stranger. His true nature seemed to appear for a moment- nine feet tall and horned, complete with furry goat legs and hooves. Her stared down at the man for a moment before the speedo wearing jerk fled, not even bothering to put his pants back on as he ran from the bath house.

"Bad Demon King," Emi laughed, gently smacking Maou across the face, "be nice to humans."

"Are you kidding me?" Maou asked. "That _was_ me being nice!"

Maou made for the interior of the bathhouse, and was pleased to find it empty. He found the warmest bath, which he guessed the old man had prepared beforehand, and gently lowered the Hero into it. She jolted a bit, as though she'd been stung, but after a few moments she began to relax in the hot water.

"This should definitely help you," Maou said, turning around to double check and make sure no one else was in the bath house. "Are you feeling any better Emi? Emi?"

Maou turned, only to find bubbles rising from the surface of the water, where the Hero had been leaned against the side of the bath not moments ago.

"Aw crap," he sighed, ripping back his sleeve and plunging his arm into the water. His fingers curled around the familiar fabric of his sleeping bag, and Maou tugged. Emi reared like a sea monster, and her skin was very red after being dunked into the hot water.

"What the hell?! Can't a girl rest her eyes without drowning," Emi yelled, spouting water like a fountain.

"Not in the god damned bathtub, she can't," Maou replied in kind, wiping the water Emi had spat out from his face.

Emi huffed and panted. Her head was still so foggy she felt she might keel over and just sleep again. Something told her if Maou wasn't taking care of her, she might've fallen asleep and never woken up. Emi's cheeks bulged and her face turned an odd shade of pale green as she upchucked over the side of the tub, right onto Maou's shoes.

"Son of a bitch," the Devil shouted, "really Emi? You know how much these things cost me?"

"Not that much," she smirked, giggling to herself as Maou shook his head and began to clean his shoes off in another bath. After they'd been cleaned, Maou tossed them in the complementary dryer, hoping against hope that shoes wouldn't shrink like the rest of his clothes.

"Alright, now that you're done puking for a little bit, let's see about cleaning you up," Maou muttered.

The sound of bubbles burbling on the surface of the water was Emi's only response. Without even looking, Maou dragged her back up again, choking and spluttering. She gasped, staring at Maou with glazed eyes as she griped and groaned.

"Stupid Demon Lord… shoulda just lemme drown."

"As tempting as that is, I need you alive right now," Maou said. "We have to figure out what your parents want and-"

"Don't talk about my parents!" Emi shouted, looking depraved.

Even though she was enjoying the hot bath, and still wrapped in Maou's soaked sleeping bag, Emi shivered, but Maou could feel her anger. It turned the Hero's knuckles white as she clung to the edge of the bath and stared at the Demon Lord menacingly, as though daring him to defy her.

"Whatever you say," Maou surrendered, raising his hands to show compliance. "Now, how about we get all that vomit out of your hair? I didn't think humans could smell this bad, but you learn something new every day."

"Asshole," Emi muttered darkly.

"Flattery won't score you any points with me, Hero," Maou quipped, lathering his hands with shampoo and circling the bath to get behind Emi.

Her started with her ends, taking note of how much longer her hair was when it was wet, and then slowly worked his way to her scalp. Afterwards, he rubbed his hands with conditioner, and he carefully undid Emi's braid, which was so long and tightly woven that Maou nearly told the Hero he'd found the loose screw in her head. For some odd reason, he figured she wouldn't laugh at the joke.

"So, feeling better?"

"I'm done throwing up, if that's what you're asking."

"And how's your head?"

"Splitting down the middle. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were scalping me, not washing my hair," Emi groaned.

"I'd wager that's the hangover kicking in," Maou smiled, "after expelling most of the booze on my shoes, you finally seem to have regained your wits. Some breakfast will do you good when we get home."

"Oh my god," Emi said suddenly, standing from her bath and unzipping the sleeping bag, "we left Alas-Ramus alone back there!"

"She's fine," Maou muttered, "I've been monitoring her mind using an idea link… she's still sleeping."

If Emi could reach the celestial force within her body, she might've been able to double check, but as her intoxication limited her ability to focus and manifest her powers, she was a sitting duck. All she needed now was a bill and feathers, seeing as the water was readily available.

Emi fell back into the bath, using her arms to keep herself above the foamy surface of the water. She felt the pins and needles in her hand worsen. She found Maou gently caressing her fingers, stretching them out, feeling the texture, and making sure they still worked.

"Hands off, Maou," Emi said, "those are my fingers!"

"I know, but I need to check them for frostbite."

"And?"

Maou shook his head, "I think I need to heal you. Your fingers are ok, but your feet are still bad. I can see the purple from here."

Emi looked down, where her legs stretched off underwater, like two numb stumps, but at the ends, Emi could see that her toes were purple, even in the hot bathwater. She tried to move them… nothing?

Perhaps it was because the alcohol had faded or been expunged from her system, but Emi's heart was coated in ice as she stared at her feet and tried to move her toes. Nothing happened, save for the faintest twitch.

"Maou," the Hero whispered in a panicked tone, "they won't move. I can't move my toes- Maou-"

"You're kidding," Maou asked, "how long were you out there?"

"I don't know," Emi cried, "I just went outside, and then I… I couldn't feel anything."

"Idiot," Maou breathed.

Before Emi could object, Maou stripped down to his boxers and climbed into the bathtub, sitting across from her. Without thinking, Emi pulled the sleeping bag a little farther up and averted her eyes.

"This _really_ doesn't look good," Emi murmured.

"You're still fully clothed," Maou reasoned, grabbing Emi's ankle and pushing it up so that her foot was no longer distorted by water.

Up close and personal, the skin on her foot was frightfully pale and waxy, with large blotches of purplish blue on the tips of her toes. Emi bit back a shriek when Maou lifted her foot from the water, as the air seemed to effect it like salt, and it only got worse by the minute.

"Maou," Emi asked, "could you heal it for me?"

"I don't know," Maou said coyly, "can you stop being an idiot and drinking yourself to death, and also avoid sitting outside in freezing temperatures for prolonged periods of time?"

Emi scowled. Who was the Demon King to give her life advice? Her anger faded as she met Maou's scarlet eyes. His concern was plain, and it was obvious he was looking out for her. Emi heaved a sighed before nodding sadly.

"Good, then get ready for the worst itch you've ever felt in your entire life," the Devil grinned, enveloping his hands in black mist and then clamping them down on Emi's toes, as if he were cauterizing a wound.

Emi finally understood what he was referring too. Beneath the Devil's hands it felt as though thousands of creepy crawlies were wriggling the across her flesh. The sensation initiated her gag-reflex, but as she'd already purged her stomach multiple times, she had nothing left to vomit out, so she retched and kicked, but Maou held firm. The unpleasant sensations passed quickly enough, and when Maou pulled his hands away, Emi saw that the skin was still pale and unhealthy, but the discoloration was gone. The pins and needles had died down substantially as well.

"Wow, that was disgusting," Emi commented, stretching the muscles in her ankle as she wiggled her toes, and savored the feeling of the hot water for the first time since she'd gotten to the bath house.

"I don't mind helping out-" Maou began, but before he could finish, his eyes widened, as though his worst fears had been realized.

"What," Emi asked as Maou tensed and leapt clear out of the bath, "what's going on? Maou! What's wrong?!"

"Alas-Ramus is awake," he said quickly.

With a wave of his hand, Maou managed to dry his boxers and Emi's clothes. He removed the heavy wetness from his sleeping bag, zipped Emi up in it, despite her ear-splitting protests, and took off. He sprinted through the locker rooms and was outside before Emi managed to free her head from the suffocating mass of the sleeping bag. She emerged to find her nose inches from Maou's. His face bespoke of great pain, and Emi could practically hear the wails of the lonely, frightened child through the Devil's idea link.

* * *

"WAAAAAAHAHAHAAHAAAAAA!"

"Alas-Ramus," Maou chided softly, "calm down! We'll never leave you alone again! I promise! It was an emergency! Mama was sick!"

"Mama doesn't wove me," the toddler cried, kicking her feet and throwing around fists like a professional fighter.

"I do too," Emi called over the girl's crying, "mama loves you very much!"

"But mama doesn't wove papa! They'we gonna weave me aww awooone!"

The girl threw herself back into her sleeping bag and thrashed around violently, rolling back and forth as her mama and papa exchanged nervous looks.

"Mama does love papa," Emi said quietly, her voice shaky as she nervously played with her braid, which she'd put back in shortly after coming back to the Villa Rosa.

"But papa doesn't wove mama," Alas-Ramus wailed from beneath her covers.

"I- papa does _too_ love mama," Maou said, carefully avoiding Emi's stunned gaze.

"But…but you awen't mawwied!"

It felt as though time had come to a screeching standstill. Maou felt his brow perspire. He locked desperate eyes with Emi, who looked fearful and uncertain in her own right.

"Well… marriage isn't everything, sweetie," Maou said.

"Mawwaige! You two needa be mawwied! If you woved me you'd do it, and we could aww be togevah fo'evah!"

"Um."

"Erm."

"You see, Alas-Ramus, money is tight," Maou explained, pulling out his pockets to show his daughter his poverty as he shrugged.

"Papa's always working," Emi said.

"Mama's trying to find a different job," Maou supplied.

"Papa doesn't make much money," the Hero stated.

"So you see… we just can't be married! But you don't have to worry, we'll always love you, and each other, forever and ever and-"

Maou's hurried rambling trailed off into oblivion as Alas-Ramus' eyes filled with great, salty tears and her chin quivered dangerously.

"WAAAAAAA! If you woved me you'd get married," she screamed.

In the room directly beneath Maou's, Acies-Ara tossed and turned, holding pillows to her ears as she rolled around, trying to get comfortable enough to go to sleep. Sadly, her big sister's cries made that impossible.

"Shut up," Acies yelled, grabbing a chair and poking it at the ceiling.

Unfortunately, her thumps went unnoticed in light of the older Yesod fragment's sorrow.

"Ok," Maou said, "fine. I'll… I'll do it."

"Maou?" Emi asked.

"Emi, stand up," Maou hissed in an undertone.

Emi got to her feet, but quickly wished she hadn't. Before her, taking a knee, his hands wrapped around her own and a strange gleam in his eyes, was Maou, and the question that he asked made her insides squirm violently as Emi felt herself slip a little farther away from reality.

"Emilia, Hero of Ente Isla… will you marry me?" the Devil asked.

His performance was loved by the audience as Alas-Ramus clapped happily, waiting for her mama's response.

"Say yes, mama," Alas-Ramus grinned, bouncing up and down on her makeshift bed, "Say yes! Mawwy papa!"

"I- umm…"

Emi couldn't help but wonder if she were making a mistake. Was this a ploy? Was all this the Devil's plan? No- he couldn't- he _wouldn't_ make up a child just to lure the Hero in… clearly this was no fanciful dream… this was her messy life. And it seemed things were only about to get messier. A whole lot messier.

"Yes. Yes, I will marry you, Maou," Emi uttered, carefully avoiding Maou's gaze as her face turned red and her eyes grew strangely wet for some reason.

Maou rummaged about in a drawer by the sink for a moment before finding a key. He quickly removed the key from the key ring, clenching his fist around it. The coiled steel was hidden for a moment before Maou opened his hand, revealing a simple wedding band of solid polished gold. Emi guessed it to be worth a fortune as the Devil slid the ring onto her finger, magically sizing it down to fit.

"Yay," Alas-Ramus cheered, "Mama woves papa! Papa woves mama!"

"Ye-yeah, she sure does," Emi smiled, trying and failing to ignore the incredible awkwardness and tension of the Demon King's arm thrown around her shoulders. Maou didn't look particularly happy, either, but his inner demon was howling like a wolf and pounding his chest like a savage.

'You did it,' the little demon in Maou's heart cried out. 'You're the man! Er, sorry- you're the demon!'

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and hello again. Didn't expect to see me pop back up, did you?**

 **My original idea was to have this story completely finished by the two year anniversary of its posting here on FF. Little did I realize just how hard it is to write an entire novel's worth of words in the matter of a month and a half, but I certainly gave it a go. Anyway, I have four, that's right, _four_ chapters written, edited, and ready for release. Not bad, if I do say so myself.**

 **In case you guys were wondering, no, this wedding isn't a part of the plot that I wrote up. Still winging it. But before I splatter you all with some over emotional spew, allow me to hand out a few props. The first goes to me for not meeting any of the deadlines I set for myself. Sadly, these four chapters are all I could muster for your reading pleasure. Next, I'd like to give props to misssexysmartypants, my esteemed beta-reader, editor, and friend. She rocks. After her, I'd like to give props to the cast of the story, who, if they could pull themselves from these pages, would likely throttle me for putting them through hell. Sorry, guys, but a story with no conflict is boring.**

 ** ** **Last but not least, I have my readers to thank. You guys rock. Let no one else tell you otherwise.******

 ** ** **With all of that out of the way, I suppose I should actually throw in a few notes about the chapter itself. Lots of emotions and feelings, as per the norm, but now we see Maou and Emi dealing with stress, parenthood, and all manner of things that normal life throws at you. I also began to unravel the grand plan of the story, but who cares about the plot, right? Maou and Emi took a bath! Together! It was to counter frostbite, but still!******

 ** ** **There's a lot more coming, so I'll just get right into the music portion.******

 ** ** **MUSIC!******

 ** ** **Northern Lights-Jaymes Young (this one is essentially what inspired Emi's mini mental breakdown)******

 **Come To This-Natalie Taylor (somehow this song hasn't blown up... this girl can SING!)**

 **Fall Apart-Michael Schulte**

 **Is It Too Much To Ask For?-Jordan Maxwell**

 **catch me if you can-EDEN**

 **Snuff-Slipknot**

 **The Good Parts-Andy Grammer**

 **Hero-Tommee Profitt**

 **Crash-EDEN**

 **Please note that some of these songs have nothing to do with the fic, I just listened to them while writing. There will also be some repeats from previous chapters, because some songs are so good that they warrant a second listen. Thanks for reading!**


	32. The Devil and the Hero: A Wedding Ruse?

The next day dawned bright and early for Ashiya. He awoke to find himself enfolded in Rika's arms as she lay across his chest. She smiled in her sleep, and with the sun that shone through her curtains, she looked like an angel swathed in white bedsheets and radiant light. The Demon General smiled. For all his years of life, and all his tactical expertise, he couldn't grasp when or how he'd fallen for her; this nosy human woman who could rival the most beautiful of angels.

He gently pulled himself out from underneath her and pulled on his cloak, which was draped over a chair, to ward off the chill of the morning. He marched over to the counter and set up a pot of coffee. A buzz came from Rika's bedside table, and Ashiya noticed that her cellphone had chimed, and its screen lit up. He crept over to it and pulled it from the charging cable, sweeping curtains of blonde hair from his weary face as he frowned at the phone.

"My king left a voicemail?" Ashiya wondered aloud. "Why would he be contacting Rika?"

Ashiya shook his head. Maou wasn't trying to get a hold of Rika, he was trying to get a hold of Ashiya, who didn't have a cellphone.

'Curse my inability to think straight without coffee,' Ashiya thought tiredly.

As fast as his fumbling fingers could, Ashiya punched in the password to Rika's phone and tapped through the menus until he came to the voicemail screen. He hit the play icon and held the phone to his ear, profoundly proud of his ability to properly manipulate the mobile device. It was just another step in his quest for mastery over all things technological. Someday, he hoped to be able to use a computer as well as Urushihara, so as to prevent any careless spending on the part of the fallen angel.

The voicemail began to play. Ashiya heard panting, as if Maou had been running. There was urgency in his tone, and for a moment Ashiya thought that Heaven's retaliation had been far swifter than he'd surmised.

"Ashiya… listen, Alas-Ramus woke up and she… she's asking questions… Anyway, I was just explaining where babies came from-"

'Oh no,' Ashiya thought, grimacing at the idea of Maou trying to explain such a delicate concept.

"I managed to get away to make this call. Earlier, Alas-Ramus asked why me and Emi weren't married. One thing lead to another and… well, will you be my best man? Call me back as soon as you get this!"

Ashiya's heart stopped. The phone fell from his hand and clattered across the kitchen floor. His knees gave way, and suddenly he felt a tightness in his chest, like a heart attack. It wasn't exactly how he thought his day would start, nor did he ever think the day would come when Satan finally settled down to be a family man, but then, he never thought to be the best man, either.

Three cups of coffee, a hurried explanation to Rika (whom he'd shaken awake), and a moment of tense silence later, Ashiya heard the click of his return call being answered. Rika quickly took the phone from him and put it on speaker mode.

"Ashiya?" Maou asked.

"Sire," Ashiya answered curtly.

There was an insufferable pause. Ashiya heard Maou say something to someone, and then he heard a door slam, and several metallic footsteps as Maou went outside, and down the steps to the yard of the Villa Rosa.

"I'm outside, but I can't be away for long," Maou whispered, "this wedding can't be a real wedding! I can't afford one, and Emi and I don't want actual laws binding us together! Ashiya, I need your help. I need Alas-Ramus to believe me and the Hero are united in Unholy Matrimony, and I need it to be convincing. For being a toddler, she's far smarter than your average child!"

For all his worried covertness, Maou sounded a little proud at that last part.

Ashiya sighed and shook his head, "My lord-"

He stopped when Rika suddenly looked excited, having been listening in on the call with rapt attention. There was a gleam in her eyes, and she nodded happily, silently clapping her hands as she grinned in her chair.

"We would be more than happy to assist you, my lord."

"We?"

"Rika and I, sire."

"What-NO! Ashiya, I forbid you from getting her involved in this! She's always trying to meddle in things- don't let her-"

"It's too late, Maou," Rika said breathlessly, unable to contain herself, "I know everything! I need to be there as one of Emi's bridesmaids, anyway. I'll make sure this wedding goes off without a hitch," she said brightly.

"NO! NO! Ashiya, tell her she can't do this-"

"I would sire, but I'm afraid it's out of my hands," Ashiya resigned.

"NOOOO-" Maou began to scream.

His yell was shut off by Rika, who quickly ended the call and rubbed her hands together. Her eyes seemed to positively burn with malign intent as the wheels in her head turned ever faster.

"Oh, there'll be a wedding, alright," Rika hissed gleefully, "and I have such a dirty, evil idea that you'll be begging to be a part of it, hun."

Rika, who was absolutely no good at playing the role of villain, met Ashiya's amber gaze. His lower eyelid twitched as she grinned malignantly. Somehow, he found himself doubting that her evil schemes would be all that evil, but he sighed, took a sip of his coffee, and listened to her devious plan, regardless. He had to admit, it was a fairly clever one, and his master would never forgive him for taking part in it… not that Ashiya had any choice in the matter.

* * *

"Hey, would you be quiet? Some people are trying to sleep" Acies-Ara groaned, throwing open her window and glaring at Maou. Her silver and violet hair was a rat's nest, and she looked cold, as though she had been curled up beneath a set of warm, comfortable blankets.

Maou stared at her with incredulity before he snapped, "Why are you still sleeping? It's almost midday!"

"Not everyone adheres to the Demon King's stupid schedule," Acies sassed back, sticking out her tongue at Maou before slamming her window shut and falling back into bed.

By the time Maou had gotten back to his apartment, Emi had settled Alas-Ramus down to a certain extent, as the girl had cried when Maou left. Now, however, they were both looking at pictures on Emi's phone.

"What do you think, Alas? What sort of wedding dress should mama wear?"

"A poofy white one!"

"Well, we need something within our budget, but I'll see what they have for poofy white dresses," Emi complied, looking at Maou pleadingly.

"Here, Alas-Ramus, let's give mama a break. She needs to go get everything ready if we're gonna be married today," Maou said, plucking Alas-Ramus from Emi's lap so the Hero could stand up and stretch her sore legs.

"By the way, Rika texted me before you came back in. She said you told Ashiya not to include her in the ceremony," Emi remarked, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes at Maou.

"Is that a problem?" Maou asked.

"Obviously! We need all the help we can get if we're gonna pull this off," Emi scoffed, grabbing her phone before marching past the Devil and out the door. Instead of turning right to exit the building, she went down the hall to Suzuno's door and pounded on it before entering the apartment.

Both Suzuno and Urushihara were hard at work. Urushihara was looking up nearby temples that would be ok with doing a short notice wedding while Suzuno took care of all the little things. She managed the flowers, cake, catering, and everything else that would be needed to fool Alas-Ramus into thinking her mama and papa were actually tying the knot.

"Good news, Suzuno, Rika's agreed to look over the wedding vows for us. And Ashiya will be helping to prepare Maou for the wedding," Emi explained hurriedly.

"I may not see eye to eye with that fool Demon General, but his strategical prowess will be an invaluable asset in the battle to wed the Hero and the Demon Lord," the Inquisitor muttered, crossing off another objective from her list of wedding essentials.

"Oh, come on, weddings aren't anything like battles… right?" Emi asked nervously as butterflies did loop-da-loops in her stomach.

"Tch," Suzuno tutted, staring up at Emi with hard eyes. "Prepare yourself, Hero. Marriage is the most difficult battle of all… fake or no, you will be bound to the Devil by forces beyond your comprehension… the fragment of Yesod itself…. Mortal laws hold little sway against something as powerful and mysterious as the Sephiroth."

"Thanks," Emi muttered sarcastically, "I needed a pick me up."

* * *

Seeing as it was such short notice, and far more cost effective, Emi and Maou settled for text messaging the wedding invites. The mass sending of the invites was met promptly with violent pounding on the door of the Demon King's Fortress.

"Emilia?! Emilia, let me in!"

"Wha-Mom? Is that you?" Emi asked.

"Of course it is! Open this door at once young lady! Your father and I received our invitations to the wedding! This is preposterous! Scandalous! This will not stand! Your father is furious!"

"I'd say politely confused is a better way to put it," Nord chimed in, so quiet compared to Lailah that Emi nearly missed his words.

"EMILIA! Is the Devil holding you prisoner? If he isn't, say nothing!"

"No, he's not-"

"I'm breaking down the door, stand back!" the fallen angel shouted.

Maou felt a demonic power surge on the other side of the door and stood to intercede, not wanting his apartment uninhabitable again. He threw open the door just as Lailah released a powerful burst of violet energy, which beat against the Demon Lord furiously as he stood firm. His jowls and cheeks puffed out, as though he were standing in a heavy gale, and his hair seemed to stick straight up, but other than that, he looked unharmed.

Maou coughed and thumped his chest, looking like he'd accidentally swallowed a bug, "That tasted a little celestial forcey to me."

"Emilia, my darling, come away from this foul beast! He will ensnare you no longer," Lailah growled, staring down the Demon King with something akin to bloody murder in her eyes.

Maou scoffed, "Emi, I'll take Alas-Ramus. You go ahead and talk to this whacko, will ya? I've had enough of crazy, neurotic women for one day."

Emi felt her face flush, knowing full well that her earlier stint with the alcohol played no small part in his frustration. She took her mother by the elbow and forcefully led her from the apartment. Lailah kept up her vindictive glare at the Demon King even after the door to his apartment was closed.

"Ok, I'm assuming you're feeling a little better… now why the hell are you so angry?" Emi asked.

"How could I not be? You're marrying the Demon King! What is it then? Blackmail? Did he torture you? Y-you don't actually love the Devil, do you?" Lailah wondered fearfully, looking as though she might faint if Emi answered affirmatively.

And still the butterflies kept tumbling within her, head over heel, like tiny acrobats that sent shivers down her spine.

"No- I- how can I answer this… Look, we're only doing this for Alas-Ramus' sake," Emi said in an undertone. "She needs to think Maou and I are married, otherwise she bursts out crying! It's maddening! She's practically forcing us to do it!"

"You can't exercise control over a toddler?" Lailah asked Emi, her eyebrows slowly creeping up her forehead.

"Now hold on, dear," Nord cut in, "just last night you spent an awful lot of money on fast food for Acies-Ara."

"She's a growing girl," Lailah said, pouting as she poked he tips of her pointer fingers together shamefully. "That's different."

"You could've gotten her something more nutritious, or cooked for her," Nord smirked, "you only gave her MgRonalds because she threw a fit."

It was Emi's turn to glare at her hypocritical mother, whose forehead became dotted with beads of perspiration. Lailah tugged at her collar, and pulled an old lace fan from her sleeve.

"My, my, it's suddenly so warm," she noted, gently fanning herself.

"Emi… if you truly think this is what's best for Alas-Ramus, your mother and I will support you… right, hun?" Nord asked his wife pointedly. Lailah didn't look happy about that at all, but she heaved a sigh and crossed her arms.

"Fine."

"You're damn right it is. That little girl is the epitome of sweetness when her mama and papa get along. After this false marriage, we're all gonna sit down and have a nice long family chat about a fake honeymoon in Ente Isla," Emi uttered. She locked eyes with her mother, whose face became an inscrutable mask of seriousness.

Emi didn't care how coarse her words were, nor how inappropriate it was to jest about such things with her parents. The magnitude of her words was not lost on them, either: the truth would out itself shortly, but no war plans could be made while the wedding took precedence. As soon as it was over, things would turn grim once again.

"I see," Lailah muttered, closing her fan with a snap and turning away from her daughter. "We'll meet you there, then. And try to smile, dear. Fake or no, your father and I will be bringing a camera for pictures."

"I have a camera on my phone," Nord said happily, "I'm sure Acies would be willing to teach me how to use it!"

The fallen angel and her husband left for the lower apartments once more, leaving Emi's faith shaken, her heart rattled, and her head sore.

"Well, that's the worst of it," Emi mused wearily, holding a hand to her throbbing cranium, "things can only get better from this point."

The Hero did not realize how truly wrong that statement could be, for a being of pure malice and bubbling fury was pounding up the steps of the Villa Rosa as she spoke. The door leading outside opened, and a presence so malevolent and terrifying that it made Emi quake in her shoes stepped into the entrance corridor.

"WHERE'S THAT DEMON KING," Chiho roared, "WHERE'S THAT FLOOZY HERO?! I WILL NOT ALLOW THIS WEDDING TO PROCEED!"

Chiho looked ready to spit fire, and her face was redder than a strawberry. A vein in her neck throbbed frightfully fast as the high school girl stared around with unseeing eyes. Smoke poured from her ears as she heard the sound of happiness and laughter coming from within Maou's apartment. Then she saw Emi.

"I WILL DESTROY YOU," Chiho declared, stabbing an accusatory finger at the Hero, "THE DEMONS OF ENTE ISLA WILL NOT FALL FOR YOUR DECEIT! THIS MARRIAGE IS A CUNNING PLOT TO TAKE DOWN THE DEMON ARMY FROM WITHIN! I CANNOT ALLOW THIS INJUSTICE TO PASS UNCHALLENGED! EMILIA THE HERO, I CHALLENGE YOU TO A DUEL!"

The door to the Devil's Castle creaked open, and a long shadow was cast between Emi and Chi. Standing in the doorway, bandy legged, with her hands on her hips, came the fierce, diminutive form of Alas-Ramus, who glared up at Chiho with hard amethyst eyes.

"You'we not gonna fight my mama," she announced sternly.

Alas-Ramus charged the deranged high schooler, who immediately scooped up the toddler and raised her up to eye level. Beams of energy unlike any Emi had ever seen arced across their line of eye contact before Alas-Ramus raised a pudgy hand, holding it flat and stiff. With a battle cry that was both adorable and heart-stopping, the toddler karate chopped Chiho right on the forehead. After a moment, the darkness that had gripped Chiho broke, and she squeezed Alas-Ramus to her chest, smiling jovially.

"I can't stay mad with this adorable little cutey around," Chiho sighed, taking the child and pushing past Emi to enter the apartment.

"Glad you could make it?" Emi said in askance, wondering what on Earth just happened, and why Chiho hadn't just disemboweled her with her bare hands.

* * *

An hour and a half later, Rika and Ashiya arrived as well, with Rika leading the way, her eyes twinkling as Ashiya trailed along behind her, looking quite underwhelmed by the entire fiasco of the impromptu marriage.

Urushihara had found a temple not too far away from the Villa Rosa that was actually willing to host the ceremony. Ashiya volunteered to take care of the service. After he'd shown Alas-Ramus a rather well forged certificate stating that he was an ordained minister that was able to legally bind her parents in marriage, she gave her assent, though only after wrapping her little arms about Ashiya's neck and giving him a hug that very nearly tore his head off.

"Genewaw Awciew is da best!" she laughed.

Ashiya's response was a rather garbled, "Graawh-gurrrgh-aaacgh."

"Alas-Ramus, you're choking him." Maou muttered absently, pouring over the expense reports in front of him.

As he was the financier of the entire wedding, from the food to the dress, Maou had everyone reporting their cheapest findings to him. It turned out that the actual act of marrying Emi would've cost almost as much as just the ceremony, as it was only three thousand yen for the marriage certificate. Sadly, signing a legal document in a courthouse wouldn't placate Alas-Ramus.

"Is there any way we can cut the cost of Emi's dress? And as for catering, are there any other short term options? Twenty thousand yen for ten two-course meals is just ridiculous! I could feed everyone who's coming to the wedding for a week if I took that much cash into MgRonalds!" Maou exclaimed, his mood going from bad to worse.

"Sorry, man. They're the only catering place that's open right now that handles short term notices," Urushihara muttered.

"What about Suzuno? What if we asked her to cook for everyone?"

"She'd probably tell you to sodomize yourself with the largest, most oddly-shaped object she had nearby, which would be her hammer," Urushihara sighed. "She's been helping Emi with wedding dresses, decorations and that other crap for a while now."

"Ask her if there's anything she can do, otherwise people are going to go hungry," Maou insisted, "tell her I'll let her babysit Alas-Ramus or pay her for her services! Whatever she wants! Just get that Inquisitor to cook, dammit!"

"I'll see if she can spare the time," Urushihara muttered, standing from his position at the table and heading for the door.

"Ashiya?" Rika asked, leaning up against the wall with a pen in one hand and Maou's wedding vows in the other, "how do you spell 'yearning'?"

"Rika, I swear that if you mess with those vows I will personally toss you in the oven and serve you at the reception," Maou told her, sifting through the list of possible dress choices Emi had supplied.

"But papa, people don't taste good," Alas said, bouncing on Ashiya's knee as the Demon General memorized his lines as the ordaining minister.

"No, they don't," Maou said sweetly, "so unless everyone is hungry for rack of Rika, she'll refrain from any ad-libbing… got it? Just look them over for errors."

"Whatever you say, Demon Lord!" Rika gave Maou a wink and a thumbs up that made his heart sink as he thought of all the ways should could turn the ceremony south.

"Maybe we should've gotten someone else to do the vows," he said quietly to himself, rubbing a hand over his face.

* * *

Over in Suzuno's room, Emi, Suzuno, Nord, Chiho, and Lailah were all having quite the argument. Well, it was actually Lailah and Emi. The others just listened and weighed in from time to time.

"This marriage is a bad idea," Lailah said. Chiho nodded in agreement, looking as though Lailah's words were gospel.

"You only say that because I don't want purple flowers," Emi scoffed, flipping the pages of three separate wedding store catalogues.

"Purple is such a darling color," Lailah exclaimed, her eyes gleaming, "just imagine it! You'll be walking down the aisle past tall columns topped with dozens of violet roses!"

"Roses are expensive," Emi reminded her mother. "When you and dad feel like shelling out the yen for expensive flowers, I'll think about it. Til then, we'll just go barebones with the bouquet."

"Nord," Lailah sighed, "do you think we could-"

"I was saving some of it for after the ceremony," Nord said, scratching the back of his head.

"Saving some of _what_ ," Suzuno asked sharply, comparing the prices and size charts on Emi's preferred dresses.

"Money," Nord replied, "I was saving it for the door fee."

"We're not charging a door fee," Emi said.

The door to Suzuno's apartment swung open, revealing Urushihara. He looked quite at home as he walked up to the table and dropped himself into a chair.

"I wouldn't count on that," the fallen angel said, "Maou just saw the list of dresses you gave him, and he's pissed. Also, he wants to know if you can cook for the reception, Bell. I guess the caterers are costing an arm and a leg."

"He wants me to cook?!" Suzuno shrieked, looking rather demented "No! Absolutely not! What's Ashiya doing?! Why can't he cook?!"

"He's watching Alas-Ramus and memorizing his lines," Urushihara shrugged.

Suzuno looked a little less angry and simply scowled as she drummed her fingers against the table.

"The Demon General is talented, but he cannot cook if he is watching the Yesod fragment," Suzuno said, her brow knitting as she tried to think more clearly.

"Suzuno, could you just call her by name," Emi asked, "if you only think of her as a fragment of some fruit that's supposed to help us destroy Heaven, you'll neglect her human side."

"She _isn't_ human," Suzuno pointed out.

Emi shook her head, feeling as though it were being split in two by some ogre with a giant, spiked war-club. Finally, an idea came to her.

"Maou already has a list of dresses," Emi noted slowly, "and seeing as that's done I can take up decorations. Suzuno, if you and Ashiya work together, can you whip up enough food for everyone again?"

"We certainly could, but I'm afraid I'll need to run to the market," Suzuno said. "Who will watch Alas-Ramus while we cook?"

"Urushihara, that's on you," Emi sighed.

"Hey! I never offered-" he began, only to be cut off.

"I'll contribute," Nord said finally. "Here's a little something to accommodate Acies-Ara's appetite."

Nord counted out three ten thousand yen notes and handed them to Suzuno. Emi and Urushihara looked on with envy before Emi rounded upon her parents.

"What the hell?! You guys are holding out on my wedding- your _daughter's_ wedding?" Emi asked, seizing Nord and Lailah by their scruffs.

"We were trying to conserve resources," Nord reasoned, "but we'd decided that we owe it to you… aside from the money we'll put towards food, we have another one hundred thousand yen we can afford to give you."

"We were going to surprise you," Lailah said, "but it's clear you have greater need of it to prepare for the wedding."

Emi's hands shook as she released her parents and accepted the bank notes from her father. She'd never held so much money all at once, and usually she paid all of her bills electronically. Tears began to form in Emi's eyes for a moment before she smiled at Nord and Lailah.

"Th-thanks guys… I'll use this to make sure the wedding is perfect!"

* * *

Emi slammed a fistful f money down on the table before Maou, smirking as though she'd just won the lottery.

"Whoa! Emi, where did you get all that?" Maou asked, staring at the notes with a hungry expression.

"My dad had some cash stashed away for after the reception. Speaking of which, no charging people for entrance. Everyone gets in for free, got it?"

"Yeah, uh huh," Maou nodded, counting through the notes, "whatever you say."

"And I have a different dress in mind…"

"Ok," Maou agreed, still counting through the money.

"And Lailah wants purple roses up and down the aisle," Emi said.

"Sure thing," Maou muttered blearily, stunned by the cash.

"Oh, and Ashiya and Suzuno will be cooking once she gets back from the market, so Urushihara will be watching Alas-Ramus… but on the bright side, you don't have to pay for catering."

"How is Suzuno paying for all the food," Maou wondered suspiciously.

"Another little donation from my dad."

Maou rubbed his temples and set the catering brochures and wedding dress catalogues onto the floor, leaving only the venue information, and a rather out of place looking scroll on the table before him.

"What's that?" Emi asked, pointing at the scroll, which was made of the parchment paper most commonly used in Ente Isla.

"Wha-Oh! Nothing! It's nothing!" Maou's voice cracked as he hurriedly tried to tuck the scroll away under the table, only for Emi to snatch it from him. The Hero unfurled the scroll and read for a moment. Maou looked away shamefully, as did Ashiya.

"- _a formal command, issued by the Great Demon King, Satan, for the immediate and timely release of his majesty's Royal Artifact No. 13. The code for the vault is seven-seven-seven. Prepare the artifact to ensure safe travel, and send it through a Gate to the coordinates that follow. My most trusted Advisor, Demon Minister Camio, your king bids thee, complete this task as quickly and discreetly as possible. Do not let the artifact, nor the coordinates contained in these orders fall into the wrong hands._

 _Your ruler,_

 _The Great Demon Lord, Satan Jacob._

 _(Writ this day by his faithful servant, Demon General Alciel_ )," Emi read aloud, anger seeping into her voice as she got farther down the scroll.

"What is this 'Royal Artifact No. 13?' Maou, what the hell are you up to?"

Emi's nerves were suddenly ablaze with fear and fury. It seemed her vision was right- the Demon King was not to be trusted. He was using Alas-Ramus to lure her into a setup!

"Well… it's sort of a secret…" Maou muttered, looking ever more uncomfortable.

"Explain. Now." Emi growled at the Devil. She held out a hand and Better Half materialized, glinting brightly in the sun-filled apartment.

"Mama," Alas-Ramus said warningly.

Emi looked at the girl, noting how her eyes were glowing, as though she'd reacted to Emi's power. Her long silvery hair blew in an unfelt breeze, and suddenly Ashiya was holding her like a hot potato.

"Ow, ow, ow," he said, gritting his teeth as held the girl, whose entire form was outlined with an eerie purple light.

"Emi, knock it off," Maou said, "he'll drop her!"

Emi calmed herself and stowed the sword away, noting how the power seemed to fade from her body extremely quickly. It seemed Alas-Ramus was picking up on Emi's released celestial force, and inadvertently absorbing it.

"Rika, could you take her?" Ashiya hissed through gritted teeth. "My hands are…"

Rika put down the notebook she'd been using and took Alas-Ramus from Ashiya, placing her on her hip and looking over the Demon General's hands.

"Holy crap, you're pretty burned up," she observed quietly.

Emi pushed past Rika and examined Ashiya's hands, which were red and raw. Small blisters were popping up all over, but aside from a slightly sour look, the demon looked unaffected. Emi felt something bump her shoulder, and Maou pushed his head between Rika and Emi, staring with disbelief at his General.

"What the hell?" he asked no one in particular.

Maou turned his eyes to Emi, who looked just as surprised as Maou.

"It seems as though Alas-Ramus absorbed the celestial force Emi released," Ashiya noted dryly. "As a result, I am no longer fit to prepare dinner."

"Can't you heal him, Maou?" Emi asked.

"No, I used up all of my power last- I mean, I used up my magic recently…"

Emi looked away. It seemed that she had not only indirectly injured Ashiya, she'd also caused Maou to use the last of his magic night before, when he'd healed her frostbite.

"I suppose I could heal him," Emi said.

"No way! I'm not having an impaired Ashiya operate my stove! He'll burn the entire building down!" Maou exclaimed.

"Like you already tried to do, sire?" Ashiya asked cheekily.

"Hmph… wait, maybe Urushihara and Lailah could help," Maou realized, heading for the door.

The Hero blocked his path, crossing her arms as Maou frowned at her.

"First explain your letter to Ente Isla. What is this artifact? Why do you need it?"

Maou scowled, clenching his fists. On one hand, the artifact in question was one of the most carefully guarded secrets of the Demon World, and was likely the only chance Maou stood at defeating Heaven. On the other hand, if he didn't humor Emi and tell her about it, she might simply call off the wedding, and he couldn't let her do that. Fake or no, Maou needed the ceremony to come to fruition, otherwise he could kiss any and all sleep for the foreseeable future goodbye, due to his daughter's crying.

"Ashiya," Maou said suddenly, looking pained, "you are to tell no one that I revealed this information! And as for you two, neither of you are permitted to share it. To do so would be to incur the wrath of my entire army. Do I make myself understood?"

"What army," Emi laughed, "you don't have one anymore, remember?"

"They'll form one," Maou muttered, "they'll raise one, and they'll come here and try to destroy me, so for the sake of peace, I want all of you to swear upon your lives that you'll never reveal what I'm about to tell you to anyone else. Ever."

Emi was floored by the look on Maou's face. It was a combination of fearful and determined, like someone who had jumped from a cliff. He looked terrified of hitting the ground, but there was a certain comfort in knowing he was past the point of no return. Somehow, this scared Emi more than she thought possible. What could make Maou so serious when he was usually such a carefree smart ass?

"The Crown of the Great Demon King." Maou murmured. "That is Royal Artifact No. 13."

"Your crown?" Emi asked, underwhelmed by the revelation.

"No," Ashiya said, "t _hee_ crown. The Crown of the _first_ Great Demon King. The one who ushered our young race into existence and gave his life for ours."

"Sataniel," Maou whispered.

"You have Sataniel's crown," Emi reiterated, thinking hard on what that meant.

"Yes… after his death, it was believed that Heaven took everything of power from his corpse, but his crown was salvaged by a demon. It was lost before the unification of the tribes. I found it sitting atop the head of some weak, fat ogre chieftain. They had never used the power within it, but for millennia it stewed in the filth of the Demon World, and as a result, the incredible amount of demon magic within it became concentrated," Maou told Emi and Rika.

"The crown is likely the most powerful receptacle of demonic magic ever created," Ashiya added, "it was locked away after we recovered it. Now, with war on the horizon, the current Demon King has seen fit to release its power."

"Why? What do you stand to gain from using it," Rika wondered.

"I don't stand to gain anything-" Maou explained exasperatedly.

"Aside from incredible power the likes of which no demon has ever possessed," Ashiya shrugged, interrupting his king.

"So you're after power!" Emi realized, looking as though she'd suspected that all along. "Are you trying to take over the world again?"

"Emi, you really have no idea what we're up against, do you? If you did, you'd understand that I intend to use the crown to maintain the life I've built here," Maou told her, looking rather tired of explaining himself.

Emi frowned, "So you have no plans for domination? Or for destroying me?"

"No," Maou shook his head. "I plan on using the crown to take down Heaven. After that, I'll send it back to Camio, and he'll put it back in my vaults. Beyond that… you know my plans for the future."

Emi knew that the Demon King planned to sacrifice himself for the good of Ente Isla. She knew that it was the most logical thing to do, as the humans would never forgive him, and angels would chase him down for as long as he lived. Even rogue demons had managed to track him down, and that was in another world, entirely. It seemed the simplest, most effective course of action, but for some reason, Emi didn't want the Devil to die. The thought make her erratic and bitter, and she felt her anger boil over once more.

"And you think I'd let you use any means to achieve your goals," Emi asked suddenly, looking quite uppity. "You think I'd just let you draw upon some artifact and absorb unlimited power from it?"

"I've weighed the options, Emi," Maou burst out suddenly, "either Ashiya and I steal people's emotions and we die during an attack, or we use this to level the battlefield. This is _war!_ I'm not putting Alas-Ramus at risk to suit your vanity as the Hero. If you don't like it, you can stay here and babysit while the rest of us take on the threat."

Emi froze on the spot, her mind working fast as she thought of ways to rebuke the Demon King. Somehow, he'd managed to insult her vanity and her resolve in one blow. She felt tears come to her eyes as the Devil stared at her, but she angrily blinked them away. It looked as though his words had stung him a little, too, but there was something else, something odd that Emi couldn't quite put her finger on.

'If Emi stays here with Alas-Ramus they'll both be safe. If our plans fall through, or if something goes awry, I know they'll survive. Emi can take them into hiding… please… please stay with Alas-Ramus… sit this battle out….'

"If you think I'm staying behind, you're dumber than you look," Emi shouted at Maou, stomping out of the room and slamming the door behind her. It was only closed for a moment before she reopened it and glared at her fiancé. "By the way, if you use the power in that crown for anything nefarious, I'll see to it that you're destroyed. Married or no, Alas-Ramus won't stop me from taking you down."

"Mama!" The little girl exclaimed, looking fed up with having to repeat herself, "Stahp bein' mean to papa!"

Maou smirked and Emi paused in the door, taken aback by her daughter's sassiness. Emi and Maou constantly bickering had apparently worn against Alas-Ramus' patience.

"Sorry, sweetheart," Emi said gently. "Tell your papa to stop being such a selfish, annoying piece of-"

"MAMA!"

"Fine," Emi sighed, withdrawing her head from the door and closing it again.

"Sire," Ashiya grumbled, bowing to Maou as he excused himself and made for the door, holding his hands up to keep them from bumping into anything.

Rika quickly handed Alas-Ramus to Maou before getting the door for Ashiya, who tried and failed to grip the handle with his burnt fingers.

"Tell that useless Demon General Lucifer to heal your hands and get in here to watch Alas-Ramus," Maou said, taking the girl into his arms.

"I shall, but there's something else you should be made aware of, your highness…."

Maou waited for Ashiya to finish his statement, but a smell hit his nostrils and made him wince and retch. Ashiya and Rika smirked.

"She needs a diaper change," the blonde Demon General chuckled, "please take her to the washroom while I have my hands attended to."

* * *

A few hours later, Ashiya and Suzuno were working as a team to prepare enough food for everyone. The reception would be held at the Villa Rosa, as no other nearby establishments were open that late. After managing to double check the vows, and successfully hiding them from Emi and Maou, Rika left to go deal with something else. When questioned, she simply smiled and laughed, refusing to tell anyone where she was off too.

"I'll be back for the wedding," Rika muttered, "and while I'm out I'll grab the dress Emi picked out!"

That left Maou to manage finances, which he went over several times to make sure there were no mistakes in his work. Urushihara was left to watch Alas-Ramus, who sat in his lap and played with the broken laptop keyboard while Urushihara used a cheap plug-in one to actually work.

"I'm doin' the computah!" she squealed.

"You sure are," Urushihara replied.

Maou couldn't help but smirk across the table at Urushihara, who was smiling at Alas-Ramus' antics. He noticed Maou watching him and quickly pouted, returning to his normal moody self.

"What are you smirking at?" Urushihara asked.

"Nothing, man," Maou chuckled.

Nord, Lailah, Emi, Acies-Ara, Chiho, and Suzuno were all in Suzuno's apartment, watching her put the finishing touches on several dishes. Somehow, the Inquisitor managed to do it all without any help or mistakes. Everything looked so tasty and perfect, they couldn't help but wonder how she did it all without magic.

"Alright, my part of the meal is done," Suzuno sighed, wiping her brow and taking off her bandana. "Someone go check on those demons… Ashiya should be about ready as well, if he hasn't messed anything up."

"I suppose I'll go check," Emi groaned, standing from her chair and leaving Suzuno's apartment.

When she came to the door of the Demon Fortress, she knocked a couple times and simply opened the door, not waiting for anyone's permission to enter.

"Wait- no! Don't come in!" Maou shouted.

It was far too late for that, however. Emi walked in to find chaos reigning supreme. Alas-Ramus was pounding on the laptop keyboard while Urushihara and Ashiya struggled to help Maou, who was trying and failing to pull a fine dress shirt onto his head. His black slacks were around his ankles. A pot on the stove was whistling and hissing as it bubbled over.

"I told you sire, this is supposed to be unbuttoned before it's put on!" Ashiya was saying loudly.

"I didn't think my head would get caught in the neck hole," Maou panted, his voice muffled from within the shirt.

"Uh.. is this a bad time?" Emi asked, her eye twitching as she looked at Maou's boxers, which were white with vibrant red heart designs.

"Dammit, Emi, get out! Ashiya, force her out and lock the door!"

"But m'lord, you'll stumble and fall if I'm not here to support you!"

"You said the same thing when I told you to find work, but I've been living here with no one but Urushihara for weeks! Get that Hero out of my castle! I think my underwear is slipping!"

"I'll just let myself out," Emi sighed, locking the door and turning upon her heel. She promptly closed the door; shook her head to rid her mind of the strange numbness that had permeated it the moment she saw the Demon King with no pants on, and then she went back into Suzuno's apartment.

"How goes it?" the Inquisitor queried. "Is Ashiya almost done?"

"It looked like he had more important matters to worry about," Emi mumbled to herself before hiding her face behind a bridal magazine and refusing to answer anyone's questions.

* * *

The afternoon turned to evening. It was surprisingly warm for having been so cold the day before. Rika returned shortly before everyone began to depart for the Hokuguji Temple, which had agreed to play host to the ceremony in exchange for a small tithe. The best part, in Maou's opinion, was that it was a fifteen minute walk from the Villa Rosa, which meant that after everyone had buttoned up their sports jackets, done their hair and put on their make-up, they were all prepared for the trek.

"Hey, Emi! Are you guys ready to-"

Maou froze, his eyes unable to grasp exactly what he was seeing as he peeked his head around the door of Suzuno's apartment. Emi was dressed in a beautiful white wedding gown, with long lace sleeves that tapered off and hooked around her middle fingers like rings. Her braid was curled into a bun on the back of her head, but the rest of her hair was left down. She wore a pair of amethyst earrings that Alas-Ramus had picked out, and on her feet she wore a pair of matching white heels.

"Whoa," Maou muttered, his face turning red as he looked the Hero up and down.

Emi looked a little surprised by Maou's sudden appearance, and she blushed a little.

"I see you managed to get your shirt on," she noted.

"Took three people, but I got there in the end," Maou said, his crimson eyes flaring brightly as they traversed the Hero's figure.

"Satan, it is bad luck to see the bride before the wedding!" Suzuno interrupted, spinning Emi around so that she was no longer facing the Devil, and throwing a dirty wash rag in Maou's face.

Suzuno was wearing a different kimono from before. This one was white with gold stitching. She had abandoned her enchanted hair clip and side ponytail, instead putting her long aqua hair into a loose bun atop her head. It was held in place by what appeared to be a pair of fancy chopsticks, and her forelocks framed her face.

"I'm not worried. Our luck can't get much worse, can it?" Maou wondered.

Emi, Suzuno, and Rika all turned to glare at Maou, but their fury was quickly overtaken by seriousness. Could things get worse, even on such joyous, semi-normal day?

Maou clapped his hands and the girls jumped.

"Well, I'm all set. Ashiya and Urushihara will be getting ready in a couple minutes, so I suppose I'll go on ahead with Alas and wait for you guys at the temple… where are Nord, Lailah, and Acies? And what about Chiho?"

"Nord, Lailah, and Acies-Ara are downstairs, getting ready. Chiho went home, but she'll meet us at the temple," Rika said. She was busy applying a thick layer of blood red lipstick that matched the ruby earrings she wore. She'd put on a modern white dress with no shoulder straps. The hem of the dress was lined with gold silk, and she wouldn't have looked out of place at a wedding, or at a night club.

"No, I'm good to go," Emi sighed, looking herself up and down in the mirror Rika was currently sitting in front of, "I think I'll go with Maou and Alas-Ramus. You two can catch us up."

"But-but what about bad luck?" Suzuno stammered. "If you two are in such close proximity before your wedding-"

"It's not a real wedding," Emi and Maou said in unison, rolling their eyes as they turned and walked out of Suzuno's apartment.

"They could at least act like it is," Suzuno snipped, "we need to sell the illusion to Alas-Ramus."

"Oh, I think she'll be plenty happy," Rika chuckled, "after all, I've got quite the surprise for her!"

"Oh, you got Alas-Ramus a gift? Is that normal for a- what do you call it- shotgun wedding?" Suzuno asked worriedly. "If so, I may still have time to get her something!"

"No, there's no tradition. I just wanted to make sure she's happy." Rika examined her work a bit more closely, using her pinky to wipe off any excess lipstick.

"But she wants them married," Suzuno remarked. "And a fake ceremony just seems… wrong."

"There's nothing to worry about, Suzuno! Trust me, I've got everything set up. Alas-Ramus will get exactly what she wants as soon as those two sign the wedding certificate."

Suzuno gasped and put her hands to her mouth as she realized exactly what it was Rika had been up to while she was gone. Rika grinned wickedly, taking pleasure in the way her red lipstick enhanced the effect, and Suzuno's stunned expression.

* * *

The walk to the temple was blustery, and the sun was quickly sinking behind Maou and Emi. Between the couple walked Alas-Ramus, holding onto her parents' hands as though she were a living bridge between them. She ran and jumped off of the ground every few feet so it was a bit more like a strange three legged race.

"Awe we thewe yet?" she asked, kicking hard as she ran in mid-air, swinging from her parents' arms.

"Not yet, Alas," Emi told her.

Maou couldn't help but feel exceptionally hot as he walked. The setting sun was warm against his back, and he was all dressed up in layers on layers, as he was wearing the suit he had bought with Ashiya for his date with Emi. His violet silk tie was constricting and hot, and he pulled at his collar with his free hand as he went.

"Hey, Emi, is your dad walking you down the aisle?" Maou asked quietly.

"Yeah."

"Is he bringing a shotgun?"

"That joke is kinda played out," Emi sighed.

"I was just wondering if I need to fear for my life," Maou said, "besides, Urushihara was the one who made that joke. I find it just as annoying as you."

"If my dad took any sort of weapon down the aisle, it'd be Acies… or possibly a wheat scythe," Emi reasoned, smirking at the way Maou suddenly became pale and nervous.

"Your dad with a scythe, huh? Tell him to wear some black robes, too. That way, he can reap the soul of my dignity for marrying the Hero."

"Seriously? We're getting married in half an hour! You're gonna take shots at me, now of all times, in front of our daughter?!" Emi proclaimed, looking furious.

"I gotta get in my punches now, seeing as I'm going to spend the rest of my life listening to you nag. And Alas-Ramus doesn't mind, do you, darling?"

"Be nice to mama!" the girl said shrilly.

"Geez, when did this family become so uptight," Maou wondered as he saw the temple come into view, marked by a large, old fashioned gateway. The mother, father, and child all stood in front of the temple, shuddering, not from the cold, but from the foreboding suspicion that their lives were about to change forever.

"Come on," Maou said quietly, tightening his grip on his daughter's shivering hand as a rogue breeze brushed past them all. "Let's go inside."

* * *

The interior of the temple was homey and warm. Incense burned in the air, and gave it a strangely familiar smell, sort of like the frankincense in southern Ente Isla. The caretaker of the temple greeted the Devil and the Hero with kind smiles and much handshaking.

"Your tithe will be put to good use," he smiled, "when will the guests be arriving? Will they be in need of refreshments?"

"No, that's fine. The rest of the guests will be here in a few minutes. I think they were right behind us. Where will the ceremony take place?" Maou asked.

"In the shrine garden. Please, follow me! I will give you a small tour, then you may wait in the entrance hall to greet your guests. There are bathrooms if you need them, but please ask. Don't just go wandering off," the monk said.

They stopped by a doorway to a small courtyard that was paved with stone. Plants grew all over, and small shrines lined the plant beds and edges of the yard. The stonework was inspiring, and it looked to Maou like the grand courtyard of a castle.

"I'll let the guests know about the bathroom policy," Maou bent down to pick up Alas-Ramus, as she had been eyeing an old stone tablet that looked rare, and was well within reach of her powerful little hands.

"Excellent. Technically, we are closed for the day, so you needn't worry about other visitors. I only ask that you leave the temple in the exact same condition you found it. Other than that, please, enjoy yourselves, and feel free to look around. We are a small temple, but we offer many of the same insights and services as most others. Should you need me, I will be down this hall, meditating."

"Uh, thanks," Emi smiled, "we appreciate your hospitality."

"It was nothing."

Once the monk was out of earshot Maou tutted and murmured, "Nothing my ass. Ten thousand yen tithe…guest fees. Five thousand yen for the ceremony…"

"Why awe you upset, papa?"

"I'm not, honey, I promise. Papa just needs a nap. When we get home, do you wanna take a nap with papa?"

"Mama too?"

"If she's up for it," Maou smirked at Emi.

The Hero looked exceptionally pale, as though she'd realized just how far she had fallen. At one point, she'd considered killing the Demon King. Hell, she'd very nearly managed to do it… now here she was, dressed in white, and pretending to get married to the Devil- the demon that she'd once fought for dominion of Ente Isla. Emi wondered how she'd gotten to that point. Where had she gone wrong?

Her time with the Demon Lord flashed before her eyes: she was holding a knife to his throat, and beating on his chest. The vision changed, and she was sitting on a bed with him, holding hands and staring into his glowing eyes. The next, they were kissing passionately in the darkness of a ruined museum. Countless battles raged behind her eyes. Train rides filled with sadness and fear. Going on dates together. Late night phone calls. Meals shared. Allies lost. Long talks filled with hushed whispers. Moments of tenderness. Memories of fear and bitterness. Shopping together. Living together. Sleeping together. Drinking together. Laughing together.

It had all happened so fast, she found that it almost felt unreal. She snapped back to reality, where she was minutes away from being married, all to keep her newly adopted daughter complacent. Somehow, any and all bad blood between the Devil and the Hero had become water under the bridge that now connected them- a bridge that had large violet eyes, long silver hair, and the biggest, cutest grin Emi had ever seen.

"Howd me, mama!"

Emi shook her head to clear it before standing from a bench and taking Alas-Ramus from her papa. In the moment they were connected, Emi noticed the look of affection in Maou's eyes as he gazed at his daughter. Emi felt as though a spark had jumped from Maou, through Alas-Ramus, and into her. Their faces were inches apart. Maou smelled like deodorant and baby powder, which was an odd, but not entirely unpleasant combination. His hair was not quite as messy as normal, and his suit had been meticulously cleaned and groomed until it looked brand new. His dress shoes were shiny and black, and he looked excited and nervous, as though he were the happiest man in the world. Was he faking it for Alas-Ramus? Was he simply selling the wedding to her? If so, Emi felt she needed to step up her game.

She grinned and smiled, noting how much better it felt than sitting down and moping. Alas-Ramus looked quite pleased as well. It seemed that Maou and Emi had certainly taken a step in the right direction. Raphael's death was still fresh in Emi's mind, but somehow, Alas-Ramus' happiness seemed to manifest itself in Emi, rather like how Emi had activated her celestial force, and manifested it within the resonating Yesod fragment.

"Sister!"

Acies-Ara appeared in the doorway leading into the temple. Behind her stood everyone who had been invited, which included Chiho, Nord, Lailah, Ashiya, Rika, Suzuno, and Urushihara. All of them were dressed in formal clothes. Nord and Lailah didn't do much, except perhaps bathe and freshen up, seeing as they usually wore fancy clothes, anyway. Acies wore a frilly purple dress that made her look like a high-schooler going to prom. Chiho was wearing a dress similar to Rika's, and would be acting as one of Emi's bridesmaids. Urushihara and Ashiya both wore slim fitting suits, though Ashiya had parted and combed his hair, whereas Urushihara had simply done his into a ponytail.

"Everyone's here," Chiho said happily, "let's get this show on the road!"

* * *

The ceremony began with Maou, Ashiya, and Urushihara standing at the altar that had been placed in front of the temple courtyard's primary shrine. Ashiya was positioned behind the podium, preparing himself for what was to come while Maou and Urushihara stood off to one side. Maou looked a little nervous, but the fallen angel looked like he'd rather be on his laptop. Lailah sat at the piano, cracking her fingers as she prepared to start the tune which would bring Emi and her bridesmaids down the aisle.

'I hope that you're right about all this, Rika,' Ashiya thought to himself, pulling a cheap pocket watch from within his vest. It was only ten seconds from nine o'clock in the evening, which meant that the ceremony was about to get underway. Lailah's gaze met Ashiya's and she gave a small nod before lifting the lid on the piano keys and playing a slow, baleful tune. It was not nearly as upbeat as 'Here Comes the Bride,' and it sounded like something Ente Islan, where marriage was a very serious oath between two lovers. The music reflected that commitment, and bespoke of sorrow in days past, but ended with higher notes, as though hopeful for the days to come.

"All rise," Ashiya called.

* * *

Emi heard the solemn sound of the piano, playing a tune that seemed to pluck at her heartstrings. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves and she felt a tugging from the back her head, where the veil was clasped to her bun. Her father stood before her, smiling as he lowered the veil.

"Are you ready, Emilia?" Nord asked.

"Not at all," Emi laughed quietly.

Nord laughed and outstretched an arm. Emi wove hers through it, using her other to clutch a bouquet of royal purple roses to her chest. Rika and Chiho took up the flank, and as one, the procession made its way out of the temple and into the courtyard. Emi paused in the doorway, her eyes lighting up as she looked around.

Fairy lights were floating above everyone's heads, and two long rows of violet roses lined the walkway to the podium. With a snap of Nord's fingers, a bright red carpet unfurled, giving Emi a safe path to the altar in her high heeled wedding slippers. Torches burned as well, but they seemed to burn with special oils that smelled of her home in Ente Isla. It reminded Emi of nights spent with her father under the stars, catching fireflies and making up constellations.

"My goodness, it seems the Demon King cleans up nice," Nord remarked quietly into Emi's ear.

The Hero grinned, knowing exactly what her father was talking about. The Demon King was never the best dressed, but tonight he seemed to have put in a modicum of effort. Everyone had. Suzuno used some of her celestial force to create a flock of glowing white doves that shot into the night sky and streaked off in all directions like shooting stars. Emi caught her breath and continued her slow march to the altar.

"Wow," Maou muttered, his eyes fixed on Emi, who looked quite embarrassed beneath her veil.

"You can say that again," Urushihara breathed, staring at Suzuno, who took a seat on the bench to the left of Emi's runway.

As the affair was quite small, there were only two long, hard wooden benches placed on either side of the carpet, but it was more than enough for everyone to sit comfortably. It also meant that everyone got front row seats.

Emi and Nord arrived at the podium, and the music slowly keened out of existence as Lailah stopped playing and took a seat on a bench. Nord placed a gentle kiss on the back of his daughter's hand before turning to join his wife. Ashiya cleared his throat and began the sermon, speaking rather longwindedly about the romanticized aspects of marriage, and how it would apply to the couple before him. It seemed rather modern, considering Emi had been expecting something a bit more indicative of demons, or of Ente Islans, but she found his words could've applied to anyone, in any world. At the very least, they gave her something to ponder.

"Now then, the bride and groom have both prepared vows for each other, which they will read before a witness. Who will bear this solemn duty?"

"Me! Me! I'm da witness," Alas-Ramus said, "that's me! Hooray! Witness!"

Suzuno carried Alas-Ramus to the podium and set her between her parents, where she beamed back and forth between them.

"Traditionally, the bride recites her vows first, however, as we are in the presence of royalty, the groom must be given precedence!"

Maou smirked at Emi. He had told Alciel to say that. It seemed Rika had no plans to sabotage his wedding after all. Now that he'd passed the first test, things were in the clear. The Devil felt his breast pocket, but he couldn't find his vows. It seemed the bride was having trouble finding hers as well. With a start, Maou remembered the last person to have them.

"Rika, what the hell?" Maou hissed, "You hid our vows! They're most likely back at the Castle!"

"Oops, sorry," she grinned, not sounding sorry at all, "it's a good thing I drew up these spare ones for you guys to use!"

Ashiya produced two folded bits of paper and held them out for Emi and Maou. They glanced at each other before hesitantly reaching out and taking the proffered vows.

"You traitor," Maou whispered to Ashiya.

"Just this once," the Demon General smirked, "and I promise it will never happen again, sire."

Maou's eye twitched as he scowled fiercely, but he choked back his anger and exhaled, "See that it doesn't, Alciel."

Maou and Emi unfolded their vows, scanning them as they realized their plight. Rika gave a nod to Chiho, and the girl cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, "Get a move on! Read your vows! We're getting cold!"

Maou and Emi looked at their guests to find them all nodding appreciatively at Chiho's words. Maou glared at Rika, but aside from a smile that twitched suspiciously, she looked quite unfazed. Her eyes shone brightly, though, almost as if she were about to burst out laughing.

"Go on," she muttered, "read your vows, you two."

Maou shook his head, and without knowing exactly what his vows contained, he began to read aloud.

"My name is Sadao Maou. In my original vows, I talked a lot about myself. I've recently had a change of heart, and I will now talk about how much my dear, sweet Emi means to me," Maou recited in a flat monotone, his face turning redder and redder the farther down the page he went.

"As you all know, Emilia the Hero is a total hottie. Like, super-mega-foxy-awesome hot. Still, when I first met her, I wanted to destroy her because I'm a stupid Demon King that can't plan an invasion to save my life."

Maou glowered at Rika, "Not only is this juvenile and offensive, but your spelling is atrocious."

"Suck it up and read on," Rika managed to say, covering her mouth to stifle her giggling.

"I came to this world by accident, and in doing so I managed to regain my humanity. Over time, Emilia began to mean more and more to me as I relied on her to get me through many hardships."

Maou's embarrassment faded as the words he read struck him at his core. Did Rika plan this? Was she simply grasping at straws? How could she have come so close to the truth? He cleared his throat and pushed onward.

"We've fought many battles, faced many foes… and all the while we've harbored a secret affection for each other. Alas-Ramus was the final nail in the coffin for our faux abhorrence and estrangement. I want Emi in my life, now and forever. I hereby vow that I will keep her safe from harm to the best of my ability. I will care for her, in sickness and in health. I will treat her as a Hero, as is her title, and expect that she treat me as I am due by my own title. Together, we will bridge the gap between humans and demons, and heal a world overrun by despair. To death and far beyond… I pledge my love to you, Emi, and ask you to become my wife."

Maou watched Emi carefully. Through the veil she wore, her face was an expressionless mask. It was nigh impossible for Maou to determine what she was feeling. Even her emotions seemed to be flaring and burning out like a roaring bonfire, where each flicker of the flame was an emotion. So fast did they rise and fall that the Demon Lord himself could barely get a read on them. Emi stared at Maou for a moment before realizing it was her turn to read. Alas-Ramus tugged on Emi's dress and frowned at her.

"C'mon mama, teww papa how much you wove him!" she insisted.

Emi observed Maou, who appeared frightened, or shocked. It seemed Rika had taken some serious liberties with writing the backup vows, and now it was Emi's turn to feel the burn. She glanced back at Rika, who gave her two thumbs up, before licking her lips and reading the vows.

"I am Emi Yusa. In my original vows, I did a lot of bargaining and haggling, as though trying to worm my way out of this, or distance myself from Maou… but I've had a change of heart."

Emi took a breath and scanned the next few lines, her hands shaking as she prepared to continue.

"Sadao Maou is a strange man, but that may be because he's not a man at all. Still, he fought his demons, and he came out of the Gate a changed person. When I found my old nemesis, I was sure I would have to destroy him… but I didn't. To this day, Maou has been a hardworking, down to earth guy who cares deeply about many socio-economic issues plaguing both this world, and our own. He's soft hearted, kind, and he-"

Emi paused to turn to Rika.

"Do I have to read this?" Emi whispered.

"Yes."

"-he also has a really nice butt. It's firm, like mutton, and it looks even better in black slacks."

Emi felt as though she might be sick from how nervous she felt, but she took a moment to regain her composure before pressing on.

"In this world, me and my former enemy were returned to our base human forms. We found that our awesome powers were no match for the undeniable power of love, and as two people are wont to do in the heat of battle, we fell into it headfirst. Through thick and thin, ups and downs, and tumultuous circumstances the likes of which no normal person could ever understand, this man who is not a man has been my one and only constant, and for that I thank him. I vow to be a good wife, whenever I am able. I vow to bear and raise many children, and I will keep your finances in order-"

Emi paused again, but this time, her face was flushed, and she didn't bother to whisper.

"This is degrading and sexist! I'm the Hero, dammit, not some stay at home mom!"

"I'm pretty sure I threw in a little something about you defending your home," Rika smirked, "keep reading, I'm sure it's in there somewhere."

"Oh… yeah, here it is. 'I will defend the home you build for us… I will defend the life we will build together. And I will fight so that our loved ones will have a world in which they can live peacefully, without fear of discrimination or war. I am your sword and shield, and you are my King. Together we will change the world for the better, and also have thirty-three babies."

Emi and Maou both glared at Rika, who positively shook with suppressed mirth.

"Oh my god, I may pee myself," she chortled privately.

"As is my right as the minister of this wedding, I grant you permission to marry. Do you have the rings?"

Maou took one of Emi's hands in his own and held out the other towards Alas-Ramus. From within the folds of the girl's dress, she brought out a slim golden ring. It was the same one Maou had given Emi before, but now it was set with a large pale emerald.

"With this ring, I bid you to be mine… for all eternity," Maou said loudly, placing the ring on Emi's finger.

Emi admired the ring for a moment, considering Maou's words before Alas-Ramus passed Emi a ring. It was large and gold, with a faceted scarlet ruby set in it. She took the ring and took Maou's hand, carefully sliding it into place.

"With this ring, I accept, and bid you to guard my heart for as long as it is yours to have and to hold," Emi recited.

"Now then, after you two sign this totally fake marriage certificate, you may kiss and be on your way," Ashiya said. Rika glared at him, but Maou picked up the pen, dipped it in the ink bottle, and signed. Emi followed suit, gracefully carving her name into the document.

"Then it is done! I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may kiss the bride," Ashiya announced.

Everyone put their hands together and clapped. Emi and Maou faced each other, their cheeks burning red. Maou raised his hands and lifted the veil, revealing Emi's face. She looked radiant and beautiful. Her makeup had been perfectly done, and her red lips were lusty and kissable… but Maou hesitated. He wondered what would happen. What did Emi expect? What did his guests expect?

Alas-Ramus stomped a foot and put her hands on her hips, pouting at her parents, who looked down to face her.

"Kiss her, papa!"

"I- but what-"

"Tch. Don't be such a wimp, Maou," Emi sighed, shaking her head. She tossed the bouquet over her shoulder, and Rika caught it as Emi charged the Demon Lord. Before Maou could escape, her arms had wrapped around his neck, pulling him into her kiss. Their lips met, and Maou's eyelids slowly drifted down with pleasure before they finally closed. He hooked his hands behind Emi's waist and pulled her into him. Lailah played a tune on the piano, something upbeat and positive. Doves flew once more, fairy lights danced over everyone's heads.

"Just in case you guys haven't figured it out," Rika muttered, causing Emi and Maou to break apart, "you two are actually married now, according to Japanese law. Congrats, you two!"

"Ashiya," Maou asked, his arms still pressed into the small of Emi's back, "is this true?"

"It is, sire."

"So you've betrayed me again?!"

"No. I only did as I was instructed," Ashiya shrugged.

"By whom?!" Maou demanded.

Ashiya looked at Rika, and Rika looked away bashfully. Then, her eyes fell upon the girl who was standing on the train of Emi's dress.

"Alas-Ramus?" Emi asked.

"Surpwise," the girl shouted happily, "Rika hewped me set it up!"

"You're grounded for a month," Maou said suddenly.

Emi frowned and shook her head at the Demon King.

"A week?" Maou asked.

Emi shook her head again as Alas-Ramus looked to be on the verge of tears.

"A day?"

Again, Emi vetoed the idea. Maou sighed, rubbing a hand over his face.

"Time out, then. You have to sit with Rika for five minutes…"

"Okie," Alas-Ramus said happily, taking Rika by the hand and leading her towards the benches so that she might begin her punishment.

"She's quite smart, you two," Ashiya smiled, closing the book on the podium, "you'd do well not to underestimate her."

"You'd do well to treat her like a normal child," Emi said sternly to Ashiya, "if you treat her like a Sephirah, she'll grow up only knowing how it feels to thought of as an object, or a tool."

"You would be the expert on that subject," Ashiya rebuked, "though your words carry more wisdom than they entail… if you two will excuse me, I am off to sit with Rika until she and Alas-Ramus are through with their time out. Perhaps you two should begin leading people to the dance floor?"

Emi stepped away from Maou and cleared her throat, "I don't think there'll be a dance, tonight. It's too cold out, now."

"As you decree," Ashiya smiled, looking as though he knew something Emi and Maou didn't.

"Why is he so damned smug all the time?" Emi asked.

"He's been around for fifteen hundred years," Maou said thoughtfully, "I suppose he's earned the right to be a little cocky."

"Don't remind me," Emi muttered.

Maou stepped down from the raised platform they were on and extended a hand to Emi, smiling as best as he could, given his heart, which was beating so fast he thought it might give out on him.

"Well then, dear? Shall we lead the way back to the reception, or should we enjoy a dance beneath these lights?" Maou asked, his red eyes glowing with happiness.

Emi extended her hand, and the emerald on her ring caught Maou's eye. He'd spent a long time creating that jewel, and as he looked between it and Emi's eyes, he found that he'd done well in managing to match the color.

"I suppose one dance couldn't hurt," Emi said finally.

They made their way to the dance floor, which was little more than a very flat, tightly laid stone patio. Smaller shrines lined the edge as Maou and Emi cut through the milling crowd and came to a stop on the open square of stone. All eyes followed as they slowly began to dance. It was a simple two-step, back and forth, to and fro, with Maou holding Emi's waist as she gripped his bicep and his other hand.

"So, what do you think?" Maou asked suddenly.

"Huh?" Emi wondered, having been lost in her thoughts.

"Dancing with the Devil. Is it all you cracked it up to be?" Maou smirked.

"Honestly, no. I was expecting you to be tall, dark, and handsome… and you're not even that good of a dancer," Emi said cheekily, raising an eyebrow and smiling in a devious manner.

"I'm holding back," Maou explained hurriedly, "if I were to dance in my demon form, you'd be trampled into oblivion."

"I suppose I should've invested in steel-toed heels," Emi winced, "because you seem to be doing a fine job of trampling my feet, regardless of your form."

Maou smiled, but it wasn't cruel or evil. It wasn't sarcastic or demeaning in any way. He spun Emi around, and their eyes locked as the world around them blurred. Emi felt her heart slamming against her ribcage as she stared at Maou. Somehow, those bright red eyes and that handsome, roguish smile seemed to capture her mind and hold it hostage. In that moment, the butterflies in Emi's stomach lit on fire, and seemed to fly in a synchronized formation.

'Oh crap,' Emi thought, her eyes wide and disbelieving.

Maou dipped Emi, and his shadow fell over her, but his expression, far from being demonic, was ecstatic and cheerful.

'I can't believe this,' Emi whispered mentally, trembling in the arms of the Devil as he held her parallel with the ground, 'I fell for him. I fell in love with the Demon King.'

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Clocking in as the longest chapter I've written for this fic, we have the wedding ceremony! Lots of things happened, and it was a bit tough to write because I had to do a little digging as to the traditions of Japanese weddings. Turns out, western styles of weddings are popular in Japan, as traditional styles are a bit pricey. Hence, I sort of mixed and matched until you have what you see here. Again, the plot get a little more fleshing out, but ultimately takes a back seat for the wedding. And how about Rika's little plot with Alas-Ramus? I swear those two are too pure for this story. Rika is my muse, as she allows me to channel my MaouxEmi without any sort of literary machina. Did anyone else like that ending? I know I sure did. I guess it was a long time coming, and I tried to sort of punch myself in the feels. Poor Emi's got them butterflies, and they only dance for Maou. Still, the chapter is primarily filler, with a few bits of humor here and there.**

 **MUSIC!**

 **Stolen-Dashboard Confessional**

 **Restless Sea-Louis Futon**

 **Hollow-Jome**

 **We Move Like the Ocean-Bad Suns**

 **Friends-Chase Atlantic**

 **Thing Called Love-NF**

 **Lose My Mind-Dean Lewis**

 **The A-Team-Ed Sheeran**

 **Rude-MAGIC**

 **Fall For You-Secondhand Serenade**

 **Better Together-Jack Johnson**

 **Give Love-Andy Grammer (still waiting for the version with no rap)**

 **No Other Way-Jack Johnson**


	33. The Devil and the Hero: Severing Ties

Love.

It was a strange word to Emi. It wasn't one she often thought about, and it certainly wasn't one of her priorities in life. Sure, in the back of her mind, love had always been there. It had manifested itself in the friendships and bonds she'd formed with her Ente Islan cohorts, to a normal, reasonable extent. After sharing life and death situations with demons, humans, church followers and fallen angels, it was hard not to feel a certain connection. Their mutual fear of dying, and their shared desire to live in peace was a bond that Emi had come to rely on, and in some cases. even cherish.

But now her mind was broken or something. Her emotions had been high jacked, and the culprit responsible was none other than Maou, the Demon Lord himself. From his glowing red eyes to his untidy hair and budget clothing, Emi found herself infatuated with him. To her, it felt as though that horned, goat-legged, nine foot tall demon didn't exist. There was only Maou; simple, rugged, charming, handsome, stupid, amazing, brave, pig-headed and selfless.

The thought of him being so firmly lodged within her brain only made Emi angry. The fact that he preoccupied her thoughts more often than not drove her mad… but to love him? To genuinely care for the Demon King and his wellbeing? That baffled Emi to no end.

Emi sat awake in bed, the day after the wedding, positively fuming about it. There was no doubt in her mind; she had indeed developed feelings for the Demon King, feelings that were far beyond anything she'd ever experienced before. She'd had crushes. She'd felt her navel squirm when she spotted attractive, handsome men before. But Maou? That was something else entirely.

It was as though someone had had taken all of her feelings about the Demon King and tossed them into a mixing bowl before going to town with an electric mixer. The dim flare of contempt she usually held for him was lost in a vat of other feelings and emotions, and it was so thoroughly mixed in with them that she found her disdain was now more of a bemused belligerence. She didn't hate him, nor did he hate her, or so Emi thought. They disagreed for the sake of disagreeing, almost as though it was a sort of private joke that they were in on. They'd changed from the people they were before, and their titles were now laughable. Emi was the Hero, so if Maou were to say the sky were blue, it was up to Emi to rebuke his statement. Not because the Devil was wrong, but because he was the Devil.

It was like a game, and Emi couldn't resist playing. It was too ingrained into their daily routines for them to change it now, though they did try to contain it solely for when Alas-Ramus was sleeping.

Emi sighed, pulling the blanket from over her head as she sat up in her bed. She was still jobless, and her afternoon naps were now a daily occurrence. Whether or not Emi got any sleep was of little importance, anyway. She would likely dream of Maou. If she wasn't dreaming about him, then chances were good that she was thinking of him.

Emi clambered out of bed, but she paused by the nightstand when a golden gleam of sunshine reflected off of it. A beam of sunlight shone through her curtains, and it ricocheted off of her wedding ring before stabbing her in the eyes. Emi blinked away the outline of the ring before picking it up and looking it over.

It was gorgeous and gold, with an emerald set on top of it. There were clear traces of demon magic upon it, so Emi assumed Maou had made it using his powers. Why he'd chosen an emerald, Emi had no clue, though it did seem strangely familiar.

Emi shook her head and checked her phone. There were no new messages. No one had bothered to get a hold of her. She figured Maou was at his apartment with Alas-Ramus, probably laughing and smiling and teaching her about world domination…

'Enough!' Emi thought to herself, sliding the ring onto her finger. 'Stop thinking about Maou! You just have wedding fever or something. This isn't real, you don't actually love the Devil!'

'Yes I do!' A smaller, much more honest part of her brain squeaked. 'He's kind and gentle, good with kids, he can cook, and clean, and command an army, and-'

The little voice was quickly silenced by Emi squeezing her eyes shut and slapping her cheeks. She took a deep breath, trying to rid her mind of Maou, but it did no good. She could still smell his scent. It was on her bed, in her clothes, and it even lingered on her couch, though she'd cleaned her apartment thoroughly after he'd left.

Her apartment seemed so large and spacious, it felt almost wasteful to have all the room. In a sense it was, too, for the rent would be due again, and she was practically out of money.

Emi used that thought as a handhold to pull herself from the mire of Maou that she had sunken into. From her rent, she thought about her electric bill, which was already behind and would soon be turned off. She thought about her refrigerator, and how lean her meals had become. She thought about how the last good meal she'd eaten had been at the wedding reception at Maou's apartment the night before.

She took a seat at her kitchen table and thumped her head against it. There she was again, stuck thinking about the Devil. Emi sighed and sat up, spinning the ring on her finger. Rika had fooled everyone with the help of Ashiya, and now Emi and Maou were actually married, according to Japanese law. Apparently, the true mastermind behind it was Alas-Ramus, which only made Emi's headache worse.

A part of Emi wanted to believe Alas-Ramus had made a mistake in tricking her parents into marrying. The Hero wanted to simply say it was a part of the girl's inability to grasp delicate situations, or that Alas-Ramus was too young to understand their identities, but that couldn't be the case. And as for the marriage being a mistake… well, it _did_ allow Emi to lean upon Maou, and count on him for help. She wasn't proud to admit it, but she did, in fact, need his help. From her inability to cope with the stress of losing her job and meeting her parents, to simply not being able to buy groceries, Emi now had a husband she could rely on through thick and thin.

He'd effectively managed to make her stop drinking, and she was so embarrassed by her actions that night that she swore to never partake of alcohol again. Not to mention Maou had offered to help her get a job, even though she'd laughed at the idea of working at MgRonalds, which looked more and more like a real possibility with each passing day. Demon King Satan had become something of an anchor to Emi, for no matter how far out she drifted, he always pulled her back.

She poured herself a cup of coffee and thought about her wedding vows. Something told Emi that Rika had been guessing when she wrote them, but her guesses had been so close to home and so incredibly accurate, that Emi couldn't help but wonder if her friend were a mind reader.

'His butt _does_ look good in slacks,' Emi decided, feeling her face grow hot.

That odd thought was punctuated by a sudden painful twinge in Emi's head. She jumped so hard she accidentally knocked her coffee to the floor, shattering the cup. Her eyes were wide, and she held her head as a clammy sweat broke out over her entire body.

'What… what the hell was that?' Emi wondered.

From where she sat, it felt as though something had just clawed its way out of the depths hell and appeared in Tokyo. Whatever it was, it was massive, and far stronger than any demon she'd ever faced. The power it exuded washed over her in waves of unpleasantness. It was hard for her sit still without shaking.

Emi heard her cell phone begin to ring within her bedroom, but she was so preoccupied with the presence that it took her a moment to find her feet and go answer the call. She walked into her room, flipping on the light switch out of instinct, as though night had suddenly fallen, even though the day was still sunny and bright.

There were five voicemails on Emi's phone. She recognized all of the cell phone numbers as Maou, Suzuno, Chiho, Rika, and Nord. Currently, her caller ID showed Chiho's number. Emi answered the call and pushed her hair behind her ear so she could hear better.

"Hey, Chiho. What's up?"

"You- uh- you mean- you didn't just feel that?"

"Feel what?" Emi asked sharply.

"Well… it felt like Maou just assumed his true form… is there another fight going on?" Chiho wondered, her voice shaky.

Normally, Emi would've been impressed that Chiho had become so attuned to magic that she could sense it, but instead she shook her head and said, "I don't know. I have a voicemail from Maou, so I'll see what's going on. Don't go over there until I say its ok, understood?"

"Yes _, mooom_ ," Chiho pouted, ending the call before Emi could boss her around anymore.

Emi felt herself panic as she navigated through her phone to the voicemail inbox and began to play them in order.

"Emilia, it's your father," Nord said, sounding fairly calm, "I think something may have happened with your husband- I mean- with the Devil… You mother seems to be absorbing an awful lot of demonic energy…"

Emi heard the sound of someone gagging, and then

"BLERGH!"

"Yes, it seems the demon magic has overwhelmed her... she's just vomited on me… I have to clean this up. Please call the Demon King and get this straightened out. I love you, darling. Call me back."

The voicemail ended with the sound of Nord asking after Lailah's health, and the sound of retching. Emi pressed the play button next to Suzuno's number, and had to immediately pull the phone away from her ear due to the shrill voice of the Inquisitor, who was shouting frantically.

"EMILIA, THE DEMON KING HAS RETURNED! ARM YOURSELF! I'LL STALL HIM WHILE YOU PREPARE FOR BATTLE! ALAS-RAMUS IS MY TOP PRIORITY, BUT IF I DON'T MAKE IT OUT OF THE DEMON CASTLE ALIVE, TELL HER I DIED WITH MY HAMMER IN MY HANDS AND DEMON BLOOD SPLATTERED ON MY FACE LIKE WARPAINT! AAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH!"

Suzuno's voicemail was cut off by crackling static, but just before it ended, Emi could've sworn she heard the sound of a door being blasted off its hinges with magic, and the sound of a deep, demonic voice saying something.

Rika's voicemail was next.

"Hey Emi! It's Rika! How are ya, girl? Anyway, totally hypothetical question, but if Ashiya were to suddenly revert to his demon form, how would I go about making him human again? Like I said, totally hypothetical! Call me back asap! Love you!"

Finally, only Maou's voicemail was remained. Emi pressed play and held her phone to her ear, hearing static, and the sound of large lungs breathing rather hard.

"Emi," rumbled a deep voice.

It was the voice of the Demon King, Satan, reverted to his true and terrible form… but something wasn't quite right. There was no menacing growl. In fact, he sounded sort of… exhilarated?

"Listen, I just got a package in the mail… thought it was from the landlady or something… you know how she travels abroad… never mind that, the package was from Camio. It contained a certain _item_ we discussed yesterday. Unfortunately, the power it released after I'd opened the box was enough to return me and Urushihara to full power… I'd probably guess that Ashiya is in the same boat. It should wear off in a little while, but until then, I'll be laying low in my apartment. Alas-Ramus is fine. She's sitting on my head, actually, using my one good horn as a mast-"

In the background, Emi heard the girl, who was yelling quite loudly.

"Ahoy! Ahoy! Argh matey!"

"My head is not a crow's nest, and I am not a pirate ship," Maou stated indignantly, though his demonic tone seemed to have no power over the child. "Anyway, Alas Ramus is fine. The demon magic isn't affecting her adversely in anyway… but she does miss her mama."

"Izzat mama?"

"Yes, it's your mama. You want to say hello?"

The sound of a door shattering was heard, and Emi heard a familiar voice shriek, "DIE DEMONS!"

"Wha-Suzuno?!"

The voicemail ended, leaving Emi to sigh as she rubbed a sweaty palm over her face. For a moment, she was terrified that some sort of horrible giant demon had invaded. It turned out that it was just the Devil's Crown… the thought that it held such power was terrifying in itself, but to think it might not be enough to stave off Heaven was truly horrific.

* * *

After a cold shower to liven her spirits and another hot cup of coffee, Emi was on the train headed for Sasazuka, with six bottles of Holy Vitamin Beta stashed away in her purse. Even if she could down them, one after another, she knew it wouldn't be enough to take on the Demon King… provided she didn't die from drinking that much of the concentrated celestial force. She'd only recently learned that two bottles at once was a bad idea, but she had no clue what to expect when she finally got to the Devil's Castle.

In what seemed to be no time at all, Emi had the Villa Rosa in her sights. A few minutes later, she was walking up the steps slowly, listening carefully for any signs of movement, but it was quiet… _too_ quiet. She could still definitely feel the demonic energy, though it was less raw and terrifying now. It felt as though someone had smothered it, leaving only vague traces of the stuff.

Emi opened the door to the entrance corridor as quietly as she could before creeping down the hall. She paused outside Maou's room, listening, but everything seemed quiet. Was someone still alive in there? And was that talking Emi heard? The door was open, and light was spilling out, but the words were muffled.

'No, that must be from downstairs,' she thought.

Emi took a bottle of Holy Vitamin beta from her purse and downed it all, and then she allowed her power to manifest. Just as her hair and eyes changed color and armor magically appeared over her pajamas, she let loose a savage war cry and wheeled about, charging through the doorway of the Demon Lord's Castle.

Intense magic pressed inward from all sides, and she felt something slimy and gross pass over her skin as she came over threshold, tripping over nothing.

"Oh, hey, Emi," Maou grumbled.

Maou, Ashiya, Urushihara, Lailah, Rika, and Suzuno were all situated around the table. Each of them had a pair of cards in front of them, and Alas-Ramus was acting as the dealer, dishing out cards here and there as she kept the card game going.

"What the hell is going on here?"

"Blackjack," Maou said, his goat legs folded as he tapped his cards with a long, sharp black talon.

Alas-Ramus selected a card and laid it down, only to wince.

"Bust, papa," she said sadly, shaking her head.

Maou and Ashiya were in their demon forms. Lailah looked about the same as ever, but her eyes shone so brightly it was a wonder she didn't vaporize everyone she looked at. Suzuno and Rika had been given shields so that they might be protected from the dangerous layer of unholy magic.

"I got blackjack," Rika said happily, pulling a pile of small yen notes towards her with a grin.

"There goes the last of my allowance," Lailah said sadly, watching as Rika counted out the bills.

"I…I thought you guys were dying…I thought you were all in danger of killing each other," Emi said weakly.

"Nah, we're all good," Urushihara said. He was taller, and he looked a bit more mature. He seemed to have regained that ageless look Emi associated with angels, but something of his rebel attitude seemed to have reemerged along with his powers. Suzuno was glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, smirking to herself and blushing.

"Yes, Emilia, all is well. Once I had ascertained Alas-Ramus' safety, I managed to calm down enough to listen to Satan's explanation of what had happened," Suzuno supplied.

"And then Ashiya teleported us over here to figure out what was going on… he still hasn't lost his demon form though," Rika chimed in.

"Please, look away, Rika," Ashiya muttered, "I am hideous in my true form!"

"Nonsense! You look dashing! And your tail is- um- nice!"

"Oh, stop," Ashiya said, blushing slightly through the hard, ebony skin that obscured half of his face.

"That's nice… have any of you bothered to inform Chiho? She felt that thing arrive too, y'know, and she called me freaking out," Emi said.

"Ah, crap! I completely forgot that Chiho can sense our magic," Maou exclaimed, clapping a hand to his forehead.

"Idiot," Emi uttered, whipping out her cellphone and walking back out into the entrance hall to call Chiho. As it turned out, Emi's call was unneeded, for as soon as she dialed the number and put her phone to her ear, she heard the sound of someone coming up the steps of the Villa Rosa.

"Hello?" Chiho asked, answering her phone and stepping into entrance hall.

Her face went white when she saw Emi, who replied, "Hey, Chiho."

A moment of tension rose like a serpent rearing its head. Before Emi could react, and before her anger could spiral out of control, Chiho was already sobbing and apologizing.

"I'm sorry," Chiho cried, "I wanted to make sure you guys were ok! No one would answer my calls!"

"Everyone's fine, Chiho," Emi said, smiling at the high schooler. "Come inside and see…"

Emi lead her to the door, but she threw out an arm to keep Chiho from breaking the barrier. Emi could enter because she was the Hero, but Chiho, who was now sensitized to magical energy, would likely faint upon entrance, given the powers contained within.

"Wha- why is everyone-"

"It's kind of a long explanation," Emi said, "but I can't tell you anything… suffice it so say that Maou now has the ability to regain his demon form and his powers at any time… for the moment, though, they're all stuck like this."

Emi placed a barrier around Chiho and led her into the room, where she thrust Chiho into the spotlight.

"See, Demon King? You made Chiho cry because you never bothered to return her calls!"

"Damn it," Maou said, frowning at his cards. "Sorry, Chi, I totally spaced it out."

"I-it's ok," Chiho stammered, wiping her eyes and trying to smile.

"No!" Emi stamped her foot and pointed at the Devil, "It's NOT ok! He was too busy playing card games with his demon pals to even bother calling you!"

"That's not it at all!" Maou shouted back, "I was just overwhelmed by the power I recovered! It drove everything else out of my mind! I'm sorry, Chi, really! I never meant to make you worry."

"I know," Chiho said quietly.

Emi looked as though she were about to regroup and argue even harder, but Rika smirked at her and said, "Enough of the lovers' quarrel, you two!"

This made Emi grind her teeth so loudly that Chiho gave the Hero a strange look. She took a seat at the table next to Maou before Emi sighed and took a seat on the opposite side of the table, where she could shoot him dirty looks without putting too much strain on her neck.

"So, Maou, will you reveal why we are suffering like this," Lailah asked.

"I really shouldn't-"

"Just tell them," Lucifer said, "it's not really like it's a huge secret… it's more like it was just sorta forgotten. Heaven probably just let it slide, seeing as its full of demon magic."

"I would like an explanation as to this madness, myself," Nord said, entering the apartment without knocking, as the door was still wide open.

"Geez, why don't we just get the whole damned neighborhood in here," Maou asked loudly over the banter that had begun to get louder, "Nord! Shut the door, will ya?"

"Of course, Satan."

Nord did as he was asked and took a seat next to Emi. Again, the space around the table became contested territory, and everyone was sitting shoulder to shoulder, bathed in radiant waves of demon magic.

"Hold up, why aren't you affected by the demon magic, dad? And what happened to your forehead?"

Emi was referring to the band aid on his brow, which looked as though someone had taken and walloped him with a baseball bat.

"That's my fault," Lailah said, looking apologetic, "when my power surged, your father collapsed and hit his head. He's says alright, but he refuses to let me heal it."

"We don't know if there could be any other negative effects to your elevated powers," Nord reasoned, though Emi suspected that her father's feelings had been hurt along with his pride.

"Fine," Maou conceded, looking cross as he peered around the table, "but what I say isn't to leave this room, upon pain of the most excruciating, terrifying death imaginable!"

"Yeah, whatever," Emi said, observing her fingernails casually, and causing Maou's inflated ego to flatten like a balloon.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked.

"Well, you can't kill me, nor anyone else here," Emi noted slyly. "I'm legally your wife, so if I turn up dead, the police will come for you. Not to mention my father will be out for vengeance. If you kill Chiho, Rika, or Suzuno, I'll be coming for you. If you kill Ashiya, you'll lose a valuable Demon General and tactician. If you kill Lailah, you risk my father's wrath, and the retaliation of her entire organization… the only person you can kill with no consequences would be Lucifer."

Everyone turned to smile at Urushihara. Some, like Emi and Ashiya, smirked at him. Others, like Chiho, Rika, and Lailah all smiled apologetically. The only person who wasn't smiling was Suzuno, who looked at him seriously.

The truth was, Urushihara didn't care for Emi's jibes. He didn't care for her callous treatment of him, and he damn sure didn't appreciate her snide comments. Still, he kept his cool, and under the table, Suzuno's hand found his. She said nothing, but her message was clear.

'I would avenge you,' Suzuno thought at Urushihara.

He glanced sideways at her, his expression twitching for a moment before he heaved a sigh.

"Yeah, whatever, Hero, but remember who it was that saved your mother… without me, her mind would probably be in shambles, so you owe me one. Oh, and just cause you're married to Satan doesn't mean you can treat me with disrespect, little miss unemployed. How's the job search coming along?"

Emi's brow furrowed, but even as she glared with all her fury, her cheeks turned red from embarrassment.

'Score one for me,' Urushihara thought, thoroughly satisfied with the verbal smack down he'd just laid on the Hero.

"Quit fighting and listen," Maou said suddenly.

All the assembled people turned to face Maou. Even Alas-Ramus, who was still on the table, wearing a croupier's hat and wildly shuffling a pack of cards.

"Yesterday, I put out a call for aid to my minister, back on the demon home world. Today, I received a package containing a secret that will tip the scales of war in our favor," Maou said quietly, though everyone heard him well enough, given the gloomy silence. "Now, this object is immensely powerful. So powerful, in fact, that once I weakened the seals on the box that it simply burst out, returning everyone who relies on demon magic to our true forms."

"So what is this object," Nord asked, folding his hands in front of his face.

"The Crown of the Demon Lord," Maou said, "the very artifact worn by my predecessor, Demon King Sataniel."

"You have Sataniel's crown," Lailah asked, staring at Maou in disbelief.

"Indeed. I recovered if before the unification of the demon world and locked it away," Maou explained.

"That would explain a lot," Lailah muttered. She didn't go into details, but it seemed as though she were lost in thought for a few minutes as all the pieces fell into place.

"Can we see it?" Chiho asked.

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea," Lucifer mumbled, not looking at all interested as he rested his chin in his palm and drew on the tabletop with his finger.

"Why not? With my recovered magic, I'm certain I can devise a seal to contain the power within the crown," Maou said, standing from the table and retrieving a box from the closet. It was a rather plain cardboard box, though something could be heard rattling around within it. Maou reached into the box, digging through packing peanuts. No one breathed as they all waited with bated breath.

Maou pulled the crown from the box.

For a moment, Emi thought her eyes were deceiving her. She was expecting something huge and grand, something befitting the greatest demon to ever exist. Instead, she saw a rather simple golden circlet, studding with a single faceted black stone. It was only big enough for a human to wear.

Suzuno stared at it with wide eyes. Lailah's jaw hit the table.

"That's a halo!" She exclaimed, pointing at the Demon Lord's Crown.

"Secret's out," Urushihara smiled, "Sataniel was actually an angel. Talk about a mindfuck."

"Wait- what- I… hold on just a god damned minute," Emi said furiously, "the Devil… the first Demon King… was an angel?!"

"No! I mean… I don't think he was," Maou said quietly, looking down at the crown.

"I know a halo when I see one," Lailah insisted, "and _that_ is a halo! But… so much power inside it… and it's all-"

"Demon magic," Chiho muttered, "it's chalk full of it."

"You can tell it's demon magic?" Rika asked.

"Yeah… whenever I come into contact with it, I get the heebie-jeebies… like a snake slithering across my back," Chiho told her, "and when Maou took it out of the box, it was like someone dumped a whole box of snakes down my shirt."

"Groooooss," Rika moaned, clamping her eyes shut and trying to mentally shake the sensation of reptiles on her flesh.

"You knew," Ashiya said pointedly, peering at Urushihara with newfound interest.

"Yeah, I knew… truth be told, Sataniel is my father. He was the greatest angel Heaven had. One day, he just vanished, and no one could tell me where he went. I followed his trail of magic right into his study, where it suddenly turned bitter and evil. That was the first time I'd ever felt demon magic… I knew then that my dad became a demon."

When Urushihara said that, Nord and Lailah glanced at each other. Everyone else listened to the fallen angel with rapt attention. The way he spoke, so carefree and arrogant, made it sound as though this had all happened to someone else. It was off-putting to think Lucifer was once a boy who'd lost his father, and it was even harder for Suzuno to watch him speak of it as though it hadn't affected him at all.

"So your father was an angel, but he turned into a Demon King?" Emi asked. Her tone was much softer than it usually was when it came to Urushihara.

"Pretty much. Not long after that, I was old enough to take up my mantle as the Lightbringer. I looked into my father's disappearance, but it had been covered up by someone… the only person I could think of with the power and resources to do it was-"

"Ignora," realized Lailah. Urushihara nodded.

"After that, I fell from Grace and looked for my father in the Demon world. Turns out he'd been dead for centuries… it wasn't long before I met another Demon King, though." Urushihara smirked at Maou.

"I wasn't much of a King back then," Maou muttered.

"Well, your ego was royally inflated," Urushihara said smugly.

The talk died down, and slowly, all eyes were once more focused on the crown. It was old, incredibly old, and powerful beyond comprehension… but there wasn't a single speck or flaw in the gold, nor were there any cracks or scuffs on the faceted black stone set within it. Much like its former owner, its fate seemed steeped in mystery. But now there it was, clutched in Maou's hand. Alas-Ramus peered at it with big eyes, as if she could clearly see the power it contained.

"Shiny!" She said.

"Not a toy," Maou said sternly, "this is only for daddy to use, ok? Papa's crown."

"I wanna cwown," Alas-Ramus sniffled, pulling off her croupier's cap and throwing it down into the table, "I wanna be a Demon Pwincess!"

"Here," Lailah said, reaching into her purse and pulling out another halo.

It was slender and silver, and much less regal-looking than the Demon Lord's Crown. It held no magic whatsoever, good or evil, but it was clear Lailah cherished it as she held it out for Alas-Ramus to take.

"This belonged to a good friend of mine. She died not too long ago, but I can't carry it around with me forever… you should have it," Lailah uttered.

Nord looked on silently, well aware that the halo in question was Lailah's. He had seen it many times during the last couple days, when she had pulled it out and stared at it longingly, as though wishing it would shine with the same holy power it had once sparkled with. After she had fallen, Lailah had no more use for it, aside from decoration.

"Fo' me?" Alas-Ramus said, her eyes alight as the silver circlet reflected in her violet irises.

"Yes. Something tells me that the person who used to wear this halo would want you to have it. Your papa can officially crown you as his little Demon Princess," Lailah smiled.

Alas-Ramus took the circlet and walked across the table to stand before her papa. She was so busy staring at the tiara, she very nearly stumbled over the side, but Ashiya caught her and righted her as though nothing had happened.

"Papa? Can you make me a Pwincess?"

"Uh.. yeah," Maou said nervously, "care to start us off, Uncle Ashiya?"

"Uncle?" Ashiya asked, raising an eyebrow.

He noted the look of dire desperation on Alas-Ramus' face. It was reflected in Maou's and Lailah's pleading eyes.

"Um, yes, of course I can do that. Demon King Satan, please wear your crown so we can proceed with the ceremony," Ashiya commanded.

Maou put the crown upon his head. It grew so as to perfectly fit his brow. He looked a little strange, given that he was still nine feet tall with one and one-half horns, but he managed to fix a determined smile upon his face as Alas-Ramus knelt and presented Lailah's halo to her papa.

The instant Maou's fingers curled around the silver, he knew whose halo it was. He looked to Lailah and saw that her eyes were filled with unshed emotion. He made no mention of it, and quickly looked away to spare her the embarrassment, as no one else had noticed her tears, save Nord.

"Alas-Ramus," Maou growled in a deep, authoritative voice, "do you wish to be a Demon Princess?"

Emi crossed her arms and scowled at Maou, but said nothing. Alas-Ramus chirped, "Yes!"

"Then by my might as Demon King, I present you with this crown and ask you to be my heir!"

"Okie dokie, papa!"

"A little informal," Ashiya sighed, "but that's a definite affirmation. Very well, then, you are now a Demon Princess in full. Please accept the crown his majesty is presenting you as a symbol of your title, and a reminder of your duties as the newly crowned Demon Princess. Rise, Alas-Ramus, Princess of Demons."

Emi rolled her eyes, but Alas-Ramus beamed at her mama. The girl pointed at the halo on her head and said, "Look, mama! I have gwamma Lailah's cwown!"

Emi looked to Lailah, who smiled sadly, clapping politely with the others as Alas-Ramus basked in the glory of her station. Emi quickly grabbed her daughter and sat the child in her lap. She glared at Maou, then at Lailah. It was hard enough being a parent for Emi, but now her daughter was a Demon Princess with a fallen angel's halo for a crown. Something told her that parenting was only going to get more difficult from that point on, especially when she was constantly being undercut by her husband and mother. Her anger burnt out quickly, however, and her mind quickly returned to the task at hand; where she sat among demons in their true forms, and humans who were all protected with holy magic to counter their incredible powers.

"I suppose we should pick up where we left off," Emi muttered.

A glance around the table told Emi that no one was ready to broach the topic of war. No one wanted to discuss tactics, plans or bloodshed. They just wanted to sit and play cards, and act as though they weren't sitting in a room that swirled with a hurricane of demonic energy.

"In light of this new information, I would like to propose my plan, the one Nord and I were trying to get you to agree to before the Vanguard showed her face," Lailah said.

"Spill it, then," Maou sighed, "let's get this over with. I finally got a decent hand, and I have to pay my rent next month!"

"My theory that Heaven created demons was correct," Lailah continued, as though the Devil hadn't spoken, "however, I never knew that demons were actually mutated angels… though it does make a bit of sense, now."

"Hold on, you're implying that we- the great demons who very nearly took Ente Isla- are… _were_ angels?" Ashiya asked.

"You? No. But your ancestors… yes, I believe they were."

"Ludacris," Maou shook his head, "there is absolutely no proof that demons evolved from angels."

"Oh? And I suppose that crown on your head just happened to come from some other Demon King Sataniel, who appeared right around the same time as the angel vanished?" Lailah asked.

"Point taken," Maou pouted.

"If you can't shut up and listen, you'll be taking the point of Better Half," Emi threatened, covering her daughter's ears, "and I'm not gonna stick it in the conventional areas."

"Love you too, babe," Maou smirked, causing Emi to turn red and uncover Alas-Ramus' ears, as the girl had struggled to listen to her parents.

"Moving on," Nord interjected, "our original plan was to infiltrate Heaven with a small team comprised of battle-tested warriors. We were going to search for the laboratory containing notes on the Incident, where Lailah would set to work while our remaining forces broke into two teams."

"What would _you_ be doing?" Emi asked her mother.

"I would be searching for a way to replicate the Incident," Lailah said, as though it were obvious.

"You'd turn the angels into a bunch of demons?" Maou asked suddenly, "No way! No! Not happening!"

"I do not seek to turn the angels into demons," Lailah sighed, "I believe that was a side effect: an unprecedented variable. The true goal of replicating the Incident would be cutting off the angels' connection to the Tree of Life."

"After the demons were created, they found they could no longer draw magic from the Tree of Life. Instead, they could only use negativity to fuel their magic," Nord explained.

"We think that this was another unintentional side effect," Lailah added, "and if we can find a way to destroy the connection between the Tree and the angels, they will no longer have any power. They could not move onto the next world after draining theirs of its magic. They could not interfere in the affairs of humans. They would be stuck in Heaven, left to their own devices as they began to age and die like regular people."

"So why does this plan require so many conspirators?" Ashiya wondered aloud. "It sounds to me like a single scientist could sneak in and do the deed."

"There's more to it than that," Lailah huffed, looking to her husband.

"That's where the other two groups come in," Nord explained, leaning forward as he took the lead in sharing the plan. "Before the connection to the Tree of Life can be severed, the Guardian must be disposed of."

"Another angel?" Suzuno asked.

"Yes. Gabriel is the Guardian of the Tree of Life. It is his responsibility to protect the Sephiroth, but he is also their jailor. He stands watch, and enforces Heaven's will over the Tree and its Fruit. Before Lailah can sever the angel's grip on the Sephiroth, Gabriel will need to be eliminated," Nord said quietly.

"And what of the other group?" Suzuno asked. "You stated there were two."

Nord took a shaky breath. His green eyes flicked toward Urushihara for a second before he continued his briefing.

"The second group will move to find, intercept, and slay the Steward of Heaven."

"The Steward?" Emi asked.

"The one who rules in the absence of God," Urushihara muttered. "Ignora."

Nord nodded.

"Ok, I was taking you guys seriously, but now I know you're a bunch of idiots," Urushihara said. "There's no way you can pull that off, even if we were all gung-ho and rushed her as a team."

"Ignora's just another angel," Maou said determinedly.

"Wrong," Urushihara shook his head. "She's not just some Archangel with an inflated ego. She's the first angel. The strongest. The Seraph. The Caretaker."

"Ok, slow down and rewind," Chiho said, "I thought Archangels were the strongest."

"Archangel is a title that comes with important tasks," Lailah said. "Angels who rule over relevant houses of authority are considered Archangels. In truth, there are other classifications of angels, completely separate from ranks and titles. They define the actual type of angels, and the importance of each."

"So Archangel is more like a rank in the military," Rika stated, "but Ignora is a different type of angel altogether?"

"Yeah, and she's not some base angel like Sariel or Raphael," Urushihara said, "she's a Seraph. In all of Heaven, there were only three Seraphim before Sataniel became a demon."

"What makes a Seraph so special?" Ashiya asked. "Are they harder to kill?"

"Heh. Yeah, you could say that. A Seraph is an angel with six wings that shine golden, and they manipulate light and fire. Archangels are strong, like, ruling class strong, but against a Seraph in a direct contest of strength, there's no comparison. The only advantage is that the Seraphim are considered caretakers and proclaimers. They call the shots while the Archangels serve as soldiers. Apparently, God himself was hesitant to loose them upon the world, so he kept them close. At least, that's what it says in the Bible," Urushihara shrugged.

"Is that accurate?" Rika asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Urushihara said carelessly.

"B-but you're an angel!" Rika said.

"Angel or no, do I look like I wrote the god damned Bible?" the fallen angel asked, smirking at the dumbfounded look on Rika's face.

"It doesn't matter," Emi said, drawing all eyes onto herself. She looked around the table with a hard stare before repeating herself. "It doesn't matter one bit! Ignora isn't invulnerable. No one is. And sooner or later, it was gonna come to this, anyway… There's no one better for the job of taking down Ignora than all of us. She has things to answer for… she has blood on her hands, and she deserves to know how much pain she caused the people who followed her word, even when their only reward was to be thrown out like trash."

Behind her watery eyes, Emi could feel Raphael's vision in her mind. He was laying upon a sunny hillside, watching clouds roll by as he smiled to himself. The memory was like a stain that would never wash clean from her mind.

"Ignora has to die for her crimes," stated Emi.

She looked at Urushihara, who still didn't look wholly convinced. He shrugged and said, "Well, she does owe me an explanation or two about my father… have I ever mentioned that I hate family reunions? I've always sorta been the black sheep of the family."

"Understatement of the century," Maou whispered to Ashiya, who nodded politely as Maou stifled a grin.

"Do you think it's possible? Is this something that can be done?" Chiho asked quietly. "I know… I know you all think you have to take action but… I want to know that you'll survive. If something happened to any of you, I don't know what I'd do."

Lailah looked at the high schooler, who was on the verge of tears. She sniffled and wiped her nose on her sleeve before meeting Lailah's concerned gaze.

"They'll all come back, right? After everything is done… they'll be able to come back, won't they?"

"Chances of survival are slim, and victory is far from assured," Lailah whispered, picking at a spot on the table. The room was so quiet that her words severed the silence like a razor. Chiho's eyes went wide, but all of her tears seemed to have dried up. All at once, her worst fears had been realized. Chances were, one way or another, her friends would be leaving her side, never to return.

"No," Chiho muttered in a daze, standing from the table, "you guys can't just… you can't leave me. Please, don't do this. Stay here."

From the greatest of Demon Kings to the basest humans in the room, everyone felt their hearts pulled towards Chiho's words. No one wanted to leave, no one wanted to say goodbye, and their guilt was unbearable, but Chiho couldn't be put in harm's way. This wasn't her war to wage.

"Chiho, if we stay here, bad things will happen." Maou said, not meeting her eyes.

"I don't care," Chiho blurted out, clenching her fists as she glowered at each of them individually, "I don't want to lose any of you! You're my friends…"

"You can find new friends," Emi murmured. "And some of us might survive."

"IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MAKE ME FEEL BETTER?!" Chiho shrieked. "I'VE BEEN WORKING MY ASS OFF IN SCHOOL, UNDER ALL THIS STRESS, CHECKING MY PHONE CONSTANTLY BECAUSE I WAS TERRIFIED YOU GUYS WOULD BE ATTACKED, OR JUST UP AND LEAVE WITHOUT SAYING GOODBYE! I'VE LOST SLEEP OVER THE THOUGHT OF YOU ALL DYING! MY PARENTS HAVE INVESTED MONEY AND RESOURCES INTO MAKING SURE YOU'RE ALL FED! YOU JUST _CAN'T_ DO THIS! YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE ME HERE ALONE! IF YOU DO THAT, YOU'RE NO BETTER THAN IGNORA! EVEN WORSE, CONSIDERING THAT YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE MY FRIENDS! HOW CAN I SUPPORT THIS WHEN I KNOW I'LL LOSE YOU?!"

"No one here wants to leave your side, good Chiho," Suzuno said. "We are doing what's best for all worlds, for the greater good of-"

"SCREW YOUR 'GREATER GOOD!'" Chiho exclaimed, "THIS ISN'T FAIR! WHAT ABOUT ME? WHAT ABOUT RIKA?! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO PROTECT US-"

Suzuno snapped. Before Chiho could utter another word, the Inquisitor was on her feet and had Chiho by her shoulders, jolting her out of her rant and shaking her.

"BE QUIET, YOU UNGRATEFUL CHILD! NONE OF US WOULD _EVER_ WILLINGLY LEAVE YOU! WE AREN'T DOING THIS SO THAT WE CAN ABAONDON YOU AND ESCAPE THIS WORLD, WE ARE DOING THIS SO THAT YOU CAN CONTINUE LIVING HERE, FREE OF WAR AND TYRANNY! IF WE DO NOT ACT, THE EARTH WILL _BURN_! YOUR PARENTS, YOUR FRIENDS, AND EVERYONE YOU KNOW WILL SURELY PERISH! WE ARE WELL AWARE OF THE CONSEQUENCES OF OUR PLAN, BUT WE'LL GO THROUGH WITH IT, GOOD CHIHO, AND WE'LL DO IT FOR _YOU_! WE DON'T _WANT_ TO DIE! WE ARE SAVING THIS WORLD FOR _YOUR_ SAKE! I'D DIE A THOUSAND DEATHS TO KEEP YOU SAFE, AS WOULD ANY ONE OF US! WHY CAN'T YOU UNDERSTAND THAT?! BY MAKING SUCH A FUSS, YOU ARE BEING SELFISH, AND MAKING THIS HARDER FOR EVERYONE INVOLVED! WE ALL WANT TO STAY WITH YOU! WE WANT TO LIVE HERE AND LAUGH, AND LIVE, AND EAT UDON, AND WORK AT CRAPPY JOBS, JUST SO THAT WE CAN SEE YOU! SO DON'T TELL US HOW LITTLE WE CARE FOR YOU, BECAUSE YOU KNOW THAT'S NOT TRUE! EVEN IF WE ALL DIE TO STOP HEAVEN, WE WILL DIE WITH NO REGRETS, KNOWING THAT YOU WILL LIVE ON WITH ALL OF US IN YOUR HEART!"

Suzuno stopped shaking Chiho, who had large red patches on her cheeks and a stunned expression. No one moved, save Suzuno, who released the high schooler and took a step back, wiping away the tear trails under her eyes with the sleeve of her kimono.

"We love you, Chiho," Suzuno said wearily. "Do not try to convince us not to do this. If there were another way, we'd consider it, but there isn't. We're doing this for your own good."

Suzuno resumed her seat, where she joined everyone else in staring at the tabletop in solemn silence. Chiho tried desperately to meet the eyes of her friends, but no one looked up. One by one, heart by fragile heart, everyone felt theirs break as they shunned Chiho.

"G-guys?" she asked quietly.

Alas-Ramus looked around as well, wondering why no one would answer Chiho. Were they all suddenly deaf?

"M-Maou?" Chiho asked. "Ashiya?"

"Say somefin', mama," Alas-Ramus whispered, tugging on Emi's shirt.

"E-Emi? S-Suzuno-o?"

Chiho's tears flowed faster now. She went around the table, asking after her friends, wishing that someone, anyone, would look up. No one did.

"Urushihara? Nord? L-Lailah?"

No response came. Rika stood, going over to Chiho and wrapping her arms around her.

"Come on, Chi," Rika said, "let's get you home."

"But… my friends," Chiho stammered weakly, led from the apartment by Rika. She locked onto a pair of sad violet eyes, which belonged to none other than Alas-Ramus.

"Bye, Chicha," Alas-Ramus said, raising a hand in farewell.

The broken-hearted high school girl numbly raised a hand before Rika closed the door, leading her away from the Devil's Castle.

"Are you sure we're doing the right thing?" Emi whispered, hearing Chiho sob as she and Rika made their way down the metal steps.

"It's for the best," Maou sighed, his eyes teary as he thought about how devastated Chiho had looked. "If she stayed, she'd have either convinced us to not go through with the plan, or she'd have asked to come along. I won't have her mixed up in the affairs of Ente Isla anymore."

"M-mama," Alas-Ramus mumbled, her lower lip trembling, "why is evewyone bein' mean to Chicha?"

"We're not being mean, sweetheart," Emi tried to explain, "we- uh… we're trying to protect her from something."

"Fwom what?" the toddler asked.

Emi shook her head, blinking away tears as Alas-Ramus' lip trembled. How was she supposed to answer that?

"Hand Alas-Ramus here," Ashiya said quietly, "I'll rock her to sleep. Seeing her parents so upset will only frighten her."

Emi nodded and stood, rounding the table to where Ashiya waited with open arms. She handed Alas-Ramus to her uncle, who gently rocked her back and forth.

"Shhhh," Ashiya crooned, "go to sleep, Alas-Ramus."

"B-but I want Chicha back!"

Ashiya looked at Emi, who covered her mouth to stifle a sob. All around the room, everyone clenched their jaws and breathed heavily through their noses as they felt the anguish of their actions weigh heavily upon them.

"We all do," the blonde demon said, slowly making his way to the corner and preparing the toddler's bed with one hand.

"So go get Chicha," Alas said, "bwing hew back."

"She's tired right now," Ashiya explained, "we'll go visit her later, after she's calmed down."

"Pwomise?"

"Yes, I promise."

Ashiya set her down and pulled the blanket up to the girl's neck. He'd been careful to make the bed so that it was facing away from the table, where everyone was hunched over in sadness.

"Ok," Alas-Ramus sighed, "but when wiww she be bettah?"

"Hopefully soon. Good night, Princess Alas."

"Night Uncwe Awceiw."

The Demon General gave a light sigh as his emotions broke through the dam in his chest. He'd always been proud of his ability to control his feelings, but seeing Chiho so desperately unhappy, and Rika so broken hearted, made his walls crumble. He cleared his throat and stood before turning to look at the participants of the war meeting, tears streaming from his amber eyes.

"Let's work out the details in Suzuno's apartment," Ashiya said, "Alas-Ramus needs to rest."

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Well, if that doesn't make you unhappy, I don't know what will. Here we see things get pretty heavy, and Chiho is ousted for her own protection. In a way, I think I channeled a little of myself into Chiho here. Allow me to elaborate: I created this fic and typed up the very first words for it on January 29th, 2015. For almost three years I've had these characters on my mind, and now the story is coming to a close. Chiho losing her friends is pretty much how I'm going to feel once this fic is over and done with. I've spent three years of my life with these fictional people by my side. It won't be easy forgetting about them... but at least I'll still have the Light Novels!**

 **Moving onto happier subjects, I have been contemplating a sequel or continuation to this fic... I'll have to think a bit harder on it, but for now, I'll simply continue trying to finish this. As I said before, things are getting heavy, people are yelling, and the fate of both worlds hangs in the balance. Not to mention all the incredible plot twists, many of which were inspired by reading the Hataraku Maou Sama Wiki and spoiling it for myself. Sataniel being an angel, the creation of demons, all that jazz. Or at least some of it. Goodness knows it's hard to keep track of what is and isn't canon for me...**

 **The angelic hierarchy was adjusted to suit my needs, as well. Go ahead and read up on Seraphim if you are so inclined. Oh, and doesn't Alas-Ramus make a wonderful little Princess? I mean, as far as Demon Princesses go...**

 **MUSIC!**

 **Broken Halos-Chris Stapleton (heard this on the radio and immediately thought about this fic)**

 **Beginning of the End-All Good Things**

 **Isolation-Alter Bridge**

 **Always-Saliva**

 **Nothing Left To Say-Imagine Dragons**

 **Nothing Lasts-Taska Black ft. Pauline Herr**

 **Over My Head- The Fray**

 **My Friends-Bohnes**

 **If I Were-Nothing More**

 **Blood/Water-Grandson**

 **Words as Weapons-Seether**

 **Gotta Get Away-The Offspring**

 **Self Esteem-The Offspring**

 **Man or Monster-Sam Tinnesz**

 **Mindgames-Sickick**


	34. The Devil and the Hero: Going Back!

Even without Rika and Chiho, and even with Alas-Ramus resting in the other room, the plan and its simplicity were difficult to build upon. The more encompassing and elaborate they tried to be, the more holes seemed to poke through. What if someone were incapacitated? What if there were alarms, or guards, or other obstacles?

"How will we even get there?" Emi wondered aloud, scratching her head as she tried her best to stay awake.

Night had fallen outside the Villa Rosa. Rika had texted Emi to report that she had gotten Chiho home safely, but other than that, little was known about the high schooler's state of mind. Maou figured that after this, Chiho's parents wouldn't want her hanging around him anymore. Perhaps it was for the best, though, because no matter how he looked at it, one thing seemed to be glaringly obvious to him.

In the end, it would come down to a battle between Maou and Ignora. No one else had the power to take her on. Even with the Demon Lord's Crown, there was no guarantee of survival for him… but if it meant his friends could retreat safely, Maou would do his best to take Ignora down with him.

"I'm afraid that will be up to you," Lailah told her daughter. "Out of everyone present, only you have the power to get us to Heaven. No offense to Crestia Bell, but her magic is not quite as pure your celestial force."

"But I've never even been there," Emi said indignantly. "How am I supposed to open a Gate to Heaven?"

"You opened one here from Ente Isla," Lailah said, "I'm sure a Gate to Heaven will be no trouble for you."

Lailah's reassuring smile only made Emi feel worse, and the Hero smiled back weakly.

"Yeah… about me opening a Gate… I just sorta followed the Devil here through the one he'd opened. I've never actually opened a Gate by myself."

"You're kidding," Lailah said.

"Nope. Sorry, I wish I was, but…" Emi let her statement trail off as she laid her chin on the table in embarrassment.

"I can help Emi," Maou supplied, "I can teach her about opening Gates… maybe we should focus on just getting to Ente Isla first, though."

"Yes, I've been thinking the same thing," Nord said. "Ente Isla should be our first stop. Everyone needs to recover and recharge their powers before we enter enemy territory."

"Easy for you to say," Ashiya muttered, "the whole of Ente Isla is enemy territory for us demons."

"Speaking of which, you'll all need to maintain your human forms," Lailah stated flatly.

As of yet, Ashiya and Maou were still stuck in their demon guises. Somehow, the power instilled in them by the Crown hadn't burned itself out.

"Shouldn't be a huge issue," Maou shrugged. "Once the energy released by my crown wears off, we should be able to control our forms by simply lessening the flow of demon magic through our bodies."

"I sincerely hope you're right," Ashiya said. "Two demons traipsing across Ente Isla with the Hero, her father, a Bailiff of the Inquisition, and two fallen angels will most certainly raise some questions… and those questions will alert Heaven to our approach."

"Is there a good place we can hide in Ente Isla? Somewhere no one else knows about?" Suzuno wondered.

"I think I know of a place," Nord replied. "After Lailah saved me from Lucifer's armies, she took me to a mountain… perhaps you remember it, Emi? It was our little getaway spot."

Emi thought about her father's words. Memories flooded back to her of long hikes up steep mountain paths, the scent of wildflowers, pine trees, and lilacs, and rippling streams filled with trout.

"The old fishing cabin," Emi said quietly.

The memory of the place was old and faded, as though recalled through a layer of dusty sunlight. That little shack was home to some of the happiest times in Emi's young life; such as the first time she'd gone fishing, and the first fish she'd ever caught. She remembered playing in the cold water on hot days, and how her father would always smile and laugh. They would make a campfire at night, and listen to the sound of the sleeping wilderness.

'How could I have forgotten that,' Emi asked herself.

The real answer was that time had driven the place from her mind. Responsibilities, wars, demons, and all other manner of obstacles had effectively robbed Emi of her happiest memories. She wondered how many more of her fond memories were lost to years of decadence and turmoil.

"That's the one. I hid there, in the mountains, waiting for Acies-Ara to mature. To this day, neither the Church, nor the Saint Aire Empire have found the shack. Angels are unfamiliar with Ente Isla, as they prefer to stay in Heaven. As a result, their knowledge of the land comes from official reports obtained from the Imperial Archives in the capital. They'd never find us, provided everyone kept a leash on their powers."

Nord looked to Maou and Ashiya, both of whom sat quite a bit taller than everyone else. The blonde Demon General cracked his scorpion tail like a whip and crossed his arms in a huff. Maou scratched at his chin with the tip of a claw and said, "I can already feel the magic lessening. I think I'll be returned to my human form by tomorrow, at the latest. Sooner, if I can burn up some more power."

"Then the day after tomorrow is when we should leave."

Everyone turned to look at Lailah. They were prepared to fight and die, but the day after tomorrow? That seemed a little sudden, not to mention it would be the middle of the work week. Maou was about to say as much when his cell phone began to ring.

"Who is it?" Emi asked as the blood drained from Maou's face.

"Kisaki," Maou said.

"You called into work, right, sire?" Ashiya asked.

"Yeah… but right around now is when Chiho starts her shift," Maou noted.

After school on Mondays, Chiho would get off school and go home to do her homework. Then she would go to the Hatagaya Station MgRonalds and squeeze in a couple hours of work alongside Maou before going home to sleep. If Chiho had gone into work after being excluded from their war plans, it meant that Kisaki would surely pick up on the girl's discontent. Mayumi Kisaki would open Chiho like a book, which would likely send the high schooler into tears. She would then be sent home, unable to work in her depressed state, which meant that Kisaki was most likely calling Maou to-

The Devil answered the call, and before he could stop himself, he put the phone to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Maou, what the hell did you do?!"

"Hey, Ms. Kisaki. What exactly are you referring to?"

"You know damn well what I'm referring to, dimwit! Why did Chiho show up to work in tears, sobbing about how her friends hate her? I don't know what you did to that poor girl, but I have half a mind to suspend you until you explain yourself!"

Kisaki sat in her office, speaking loudly as she gripped her personal cell phone so hard her hand shook. Normally, she'd have been smart enough to use her office phone and save herself some money, but the look on Chiho's face had made Kisaki forget all about her office phone, which had unlimited inbound and outbound calls.

"Well? If I were you, I'd start talking before I begin docking pay and filling out suspension forms!"

Maou froze. How was he supposed to explain that he was doing what was best for Chiho? Could he tell his boss about being the Demon King? Maou thought fast, the gears in his head spinning so quickly that he felt he might've forgotten something important. Emi watched him take a deep breath, and then his face fell. He looked strangely regal and proud, like a king condemning a criminal to death.

"I accept any punishment you think I deserve. Even Greenland," he muttered.

"Dammit, Maou, this is serious! I can't send you to Greenland, but I kinda wish I could! Why did I just send an employee home? Why was she sobbing uncontrollably about how useless she was? Why the hell does Chiho think she's worthless?! ANSWER ME!"

"I can't," Maou said, listening to Kisaki's heavy breathing. He'd never heard her so incensed, even when dealing with Sariel, but he kept a straight face and an even tone. Only his eyes betrayed him, and they became bright with unshed tears as he thought about how hurt Chiho must've been.

"Don't think I won't fire you," Kisaki hissed over the phone. "Good work is no excuse for whatever you put that girl through. You're lucky I haven't phoned her parents!"

"Perhaps firing me would be best," Maou stated. "Chiho probably won't want to see me, anymore, and I have other things to take care of… yes, I think it would be for the best."

"Are you… Maou, are you serious?" Kisaki asked.

"I am."

His voice was still flat, but Kisaki knew better than to trust it. Something of Maou's hurt came through the connection, and Kisaki sighed, putting a hand to her forehead and leaning heavily upon her desk. She knew that Maou loved his job, so for him to be willing to give it up to save face…

"Maou, what the hell is going on?" she asked.

"I can't tell you," Maou repeated. "All I can say is I may be leaving soon… and I don't know if I'll be back."

"So, you're moving?"

"Uh, yeah. Kind of."

"You're such a terrible liar, Maaa."

Maou smiled at the nickname he'd been given when he'd first started at MgRonalds. Kisaki's tone had become much calmer. She seemed to understand he was going through something serious, even if he wouldn't tell her what.

"Sadao Maou… you are hereby suspended indefinitely… if I fire you, I can't hire you back. Get your shit together- for _good_ this time- and when you're all finished with whatever you're doing… swing in for an interview. And for the love of all that's holy, you better have one hell of an explanation ready when you get back."

"Thanks, boss," Maou smiled.

In that moment, Mayumi Kisaki knew she'd made the right decision. She could hear it in Maou's voice. That flat, hopeless tone had cracked, and she had heard his happiness and relief. Whatever he was going through, it was something he needed to do on his own. She could respect that, given her own status as an island of independence. She pressed the end key on her phone.

'Well, there went the best worker I've ever had,' the manager thought to herself, slumping back into her chair and wondering how many people it would take to fill Maou's position.

* * *

The Demon Lord ended the call, smiling sadly as he stared at his battered cell phone.

"M'lord? What's happened?"

"I've been suspended. Indefinitely," Maou informed the group, folding his hands in front of his face to keep them from shaking violently.

"This is a travesty of justice," Ashiya proclaimed, "a farce! A betrayal most foul! This is-"

"For the best," the Demon King interjected. "Think about it, Ashiya. If I left for Ente Isla and didn't go into work, what would've happened?"

"Well… I assume you would be fired, your majesty."

"Exactly."

"So now if you leave and never come back, they won't have to report you as missing," Emi realized. "Your manager will just say that you were suspended and that you moved away. No one will ever realize what actually happened."

"Unless I'm much mistaken, I'm the only person who had this problem. The rest of you are unemployed, so this clears the path for what we have to do. There's nothing holding us back, now," Maou stated, realizing how he was past the point on no return.

"Great," Urushihara said, rolling his eyes, "I'm _so_ glad we can rush off to our deaths, now."

"At least I won't have to listen to you complain anymore when we're dead," Emi commented, trying hard to focus on the positive side of facing her own mortality.

"Enough," Maou and Lailah said in unison, "we have work to do."

The fallen angel gave the Demon King a strange smile. Maou returned it half-heartedly before clearing his throat and launching into a breakdown of their plans. He was just trying to decide who should be on which strike team when Ashiya put a pin in what Maou was saying.

"Pardon my interruption, sire, but first we should consider all the things we'll need for our return to Ente Isla," the Demon General advised.

"Such as?"

"Well, consider this: as long as we are in Ente Isla, we are condemned to our human forms, otherwise we will give away our location. That means we cannot use magic, not even for comfort. We should prepare for just about any sort of climate, as well, seeing as we do not know if there is any correlation between Ente Isla's seasons, and Earth's seasons. Finally, it would be wise to purchase camping supplies. If this cabin is as old as the Hero, it may well be a rundown mess with no roof."

"I feel like that was a cheap shot at me," Emi muttered, glaring at Ashiya.

"No, it would be a cheap shot if I said you were as rundown and decrepit as your cabin is likely to be after so many years of neglect."

"You make a good point-" Maou began.

"You're just going to agree with him?!" Emi asked, looking scandalized, "I'm your wife, dammit! I demand respect!"

"No! I meant to say that he had a good point about the camping supplies! You're not a decrepit hovel!"

"It's a cabin! Not a hovel!" Emi corrected vehemently.

"Whatever you say! In any case, it sounds like we have a lot of supplies to purchase before we can leave," Maou rubbed his head, which was throbbing with a painful ache.

"Indeed. But first and foremost, there is one more thing you must consider," Ashiya said seriously. "Alas-Ramus will either need to come with us, or she will need to stay here with someone, weakening our strike party."

"Alas-Ramus should stay," Maou and Emi said together, though no one looked particularly happy at that notion. It meant that someone would be stuck there, looking after her. Maou knew exactly who he was going to suggest when Lailah shook her head.

"Alas-Ramus must come with us. We will need her when the Tree of Life and the Sephiroth are freed," the fallen angel said.

The Demon King was about to rebuke Lailah when he realized there was a flaw in his brilliant plan. Even if Alas-Ramus were to stay, Emi was the only one who could open a Gate to Heaven. She had to go with them, so keeping his wife and adopted daughter out of direct harm was altogether an impossible goal. For a moment, Maou's eyes flickered to Nord, and he felt he understood the man's pain a little better.

And there it was: the Demon King and the Hero were hurtling headlong towards a tragic demise. Even if one of them managed to survive, the other was more than likely to die. It was the end, and Maou knew that before it came, he had something important that he had to do.

'Before we die, I'll tell her how I feel about her,' Maou said mentally.

He'd tried to carry his passion for the Hero within him, where it could fester needlessly, without doing harm to his relationships, but now… now his time was limited, and the burden of his feelings was one thing he couldn't stand take with him into the afterlife. In any case, she deserved to know. She needed to understand why Maou had done the things he'd done.

Emi caught Maou staring at her, his expression lax as he looked at her with such an intense longing that he drooled a little bit. The Hero, of course, simply thought he had gone braindead for a moment. However, this didn't stop her from finding his slack-jawed stare endearing. The attention made her blush for a moment before Maou cleared his throat and turned his attention to the conversation around him once more.

* * *

The next morning was deceptively bright out, for the temperatures had dropped even lower. It was Tuesday, and though it was bitter cold, Maou, Ashiya, Emi, Urushihara, and Suzuno had all left for their local outdoors outfitter, where they were busy preparing for their expedition to Ente Isla. Once there, they would hide out and recharge their powers while Emi worked on opening a Gate to Heaven. Before they did any of that, however, there were things to consider.

For instance, no one knew what sort of weather to expect, so they all purchased thermal insulated clothes, as well as loose fitting summer clothing, which was on sale, given the chilly temperatures. There was also the fact that Gate magic was still unpredictable and difficult to control. Even if they landed in Ente Isla, there was no telling which continent they would appear on, so they needed gear that would allow for swift, stealthy travel.

Emi repeatedly had to warn Maou against buying things they didn't need, especially when he spotted a foldable utility shovel.

"I can use this for so many things when we get to Ente Isla," Maou said excitedly, digging in his pockets for his wallet.

"Put that back! We don't need a shovel where we're going," Emi hissed.

"But it's only six thousand yen, Emi!"

"You can spend that money on making sure Alas-Ramus is ready for the trip," Emi retaliated, taking the shovel from his hands and storming off to put it back.

Maou sighed, straining to walk past a rack of hunting, fishing, and utility knives as he remembered the one thing that kept him complacent throughout the shopping trip: after all was said and done, he wouldn't have to worry about paying off his maxed out credit card, and he could empty all of his savings into the trip.

The tents Maou got were barely big enough for two people. They laid low to the ground, and they were a dark green, which he hoped would shield them any prying eyes. They were oddly shaped, like a large green tube that had been cut in half the long way. The design was simple, they were easy to set up and disassemble, and his favorite part was that they were one thousand five hundred yen apiece.

Ashiya returned with an armful of miscellaneous items he had deemed necessary for the trip. Maou tried his best to dissuade his General and have him return it all, but the more Ashiya spoke, the harder it was for Maou to argue.

"We will need flashlights, sire. There are no streetlamps in Ente Isla, as I'm sure you'll recall. We needed more pillows and sleeping bags, as well, so I grabbed some. This is a utility saw that will help for gathering firewood. For food, we will need fishing equipment, so that we might try our hands at the trout in the stream Emilia mentioned. Either that, or we will have to carry food with us, which will slow us down. I also got us a flint and steel, so we don't have to use our magic to light fires. I've even procured some seasonings I didn't have, which should work well with fish. This tarp will be of use for-"

"Fine! Just toss it all in the cart, already!" Maou exclaimed.

"Of course, m'lord."

When Maou finally stood in line at the checkout, and counted out the unprecedented amount of money he owed to the cashier, it was already dark outside. As everyone walked back to the Villa Rosa, their heads down and their collars turned against the wind, it began to snow. Emi checked her phone and scoffed in disgust.

"It's only 3:49," she said over the wind, "why is it so dark already?"

"I'm freezing my ass off," Urushihara shivered.

"It is quite chilly," admitted Suzuno, who was already wearing her new coat.

Through the snowstorm that was now raging around them, the sound of a raven's call cut through the howling wind. Maou flinched as he felt the tingle of an evil presence nearby. He threw out an arm and everyone stopped. Apparently, Urushihara and Ashiya both felt it as well, for both of them peered into the swirling white veil with watchful eyes that glowed with fell power.

"CAW!"

The sound of a raven right behind the party made them all jump. Everyone turned, but there was nothing there. The sound of flapping wings was loud as the bird flew off.

"Where'd it go?" Urushihara asked in an undertone.

"What is it?" Emi wondered, still unsure as to what was going on.

It was less obvious for Emi and Suzuno, as they were not quite as in tune to demons as Satan and his Generals, but it was clear to Maou, Ashiya, and Urushihara that there was another demon nearby. It hid its power well, which meant it was someone who knew what they were doing. Someone who had cause to hide.

"Good afternoon," choked a voice behind the group, speaking in Centruvian.

They spun about once more to find a dark figure waiting in their path. It stood pitch black and menacing against the snowy white backdrop. The demon was tall and wiry, and the snow seemed to avoid falling on it, making it appear as though the creature had some sort of invisible shield.

"Who is that," Suzuno asked.

" _What_ is that," Emi wondered, finally feeling the demonic energy exuding from the creature.

"My name is Ala," said the voice. The figure hobbled closer, taking steps on long, skinny legs, as though walking on stilts. The voice was a woman's, but raspy and haggard. The smell of rot and decay clung to the woman as she bent at the waist and took a low bow.

She was dressed in all black, and she looked to be wearing a plague doctor's mask, with a large beak. Emi got a very bad feeling from the woman, and from within her distant memory, she recalled that she had heard the name 'Ala' before, but where?

"What are you doing here?" Maou asked.

"King Satan, I have come to deliver a message to you."

"Why didn't Camio just come himself?"

The woman laughed, low and wheezing as her form shook with mirth. Emi realized that the demon wasn't wearing a mask: she actually had a large, black beak, like that of a raven. Other than that, her face was remarkably human, save the eyes. They were like watery orbs of obsidian.

"I am not here under the Demon Minister's orders," the she-demon hissed. "I am here to deliver a message from the current leader of the Unified Demon's Militia."

"Never heard of them," Maou shrugged, "now could you deliver the message already? I'm sort of busy, and it's turning into a blizzard, in case you didn't notice."

"Very well," the demon hissed, "here is the message."

Feathery black wings sprouted from the demoness' back. With a single flap, she flew forward, drawing a black longsword from thin air as she charged forth.

"We know about your betrayal," the Ala screeched, "die, Satan!"

Under normal circumstances, Maou would've punted the attacking demon into a dumpster, pulled his coat a bit more tightly about him, and then made his way home as quickly as possible so that he might escape the inclement weather. Now, however, as the long, sleek sword keened through the winter wind, he felt something that made his heart skip a beat.

It was his own magic power. His power, from before he had left Ente Isla. Somehow, the raven-demon was using the sword to keep her true form, and bolster her strength.

Maou stumbled back, his foot hitting an icy patch. He slipped and fell into someone's arms, the blade moments away from meeting his flesh. Maou smelled something sweet and familiar. He saw locks of red hair… and a somewhat flat chest. Emi had caught him before he fell, but now she was moments away from being eviscerated as well.

She used her hips to throw Maou to the side, leaving herself exposed to the point of the black sword. There was no time. Emi knew she couldn't summon her powers quickly enough.

That's when another black sword, a katana, crossed paths with the longsword.

"Cut the crap, Maou! you too, Emi!" Urushihara called to them.

Ashiya appeared on Emi's other side, his fist raised to strike the Ala with all of his strength, but she withdrew before he could land a blow.

"I'm not the one freezing up after being attacked," Emi told Urushihara. "Yell at Maou!"

"I just freaking did! I yelled at both of you for being so USELESS!"

With a wide, two handed slash, Lucifer sent black flames billowing towards the demoness. She raised a hand and the blizzard focused in front of her. The flames quickly flickered and burnt out as they beat against a shield of sleet and hail.

"I wasn't freaking out! I just- she's got my demonic energy in that sword," Maou said, picking himself up from the concrete, where Emi had tossed him. He brushed off the knees of his pants and glared at the bird-demon, who snarled back. Her beak clicked in an annoyance as she waited for someone to attack.

"Just give up," Urushihara said, "you're up against Satan and four of his Demon Generals. Outmatched doesn't even cut it."

"I think I'll be just fine against someone who can't count," the Ala croaked. "There are only four of you, including Satan!"

"Guess again," Suzuno whispered.

After the demoness had struck at Maou, Suzuno had waited for a counter attack to distract her. It gave Suzuno the opportunity she needed to jump and land on the roof of the building on her right. She then slowly worked her way down the block and dropped from the roof noiselessly behind her target, as any trained assassin could. She stalked her mark, moving in closer and closer, dodging behind dumpsters and mailboxes. And now that the demon was solely focused on exchanging words with Satan and his other Generals, Suzuno had the perfect opening.

She jumped out from behind a dumpster and sprinted at her mark silently. Not even a single snowflake landed on the assassin as she closed with her prey. She jumped as the Ala began to turn. Perhaps she had sensed something of the holy magic Suzuno wielded. In any case, it wasn't enough. The demoness gave a loud, startled "CAW!" before Suzuno's hammer made contact.

Her bones shattered and fractured beneath Suzuno's strength. Her legs snagged like twigs, and the sword in her hand clanged to the pavement. Unless Suzuno was mistaken, she guessed that the bird-demon, while flighty and fast, had hollow bones like most other birds. The end result being that instead of knocking her unconscious, the Death Scythe had killed her.

"Way to go, Bell," Urushihara smiled, resting the blade of his katana on his shoulder.

"I-I'm sorry," Suzuno mumbled. "I didn't mean to kill her- I just swung a little too hard and-"

Maou stalked forward, his hands in his pockets and his eyes glowing with crimson malevolence. For a moment, Suzuno thought he was angry, but he went right past her, coming to a stop at the broken heap of the demoness, who was quickly disintegrating.

"Would've been nice to know who formed this 'Unified Demon's Militia.' Still, it's probably best you killed her, Suzuno. Better safe than sorry," Maou shrugged.

Suzuno was alarmed at how careless he sounded. Why wasn't he furious that she'd just murdered one of his kin, right before his eyes?

"S-Sadao?" she asked.

But the Demon Lord wasn't listening. He squatted next to the remains of the raven-demon, staring intently at the sword she had carried. After determining there was no magic preventing him from touching the sword, he carried it over to where Emi, Ashiya, and Urushihara waited with the shopping. Suzuno followed along, keeping her head down and her eyes lowered.

"That was impressive, Crestia Bell," Ashiya admitted. "Even I had a tough time determining where you would strike from."

"I thought you'd all be mad," Suzuno murmured. "I killed a demon. It might've been someone you knew… someone you cared for. They might've had family, or-"

"Don't count on it," Maou said, quickly stuffing the sword down the leg of one of his new pairs of pants before jamming them back into the shopping bag. "That was an Ala. Not too many of them around, and for good reason. They like to destroy farmers' crops and manipulate weather. She must've been searching for us for some time."

"That would explain the unseasonably cold temperatures recently," Ashiya remarked.

"That's where I've heard of it," Emi realized, snapping her fingers, "I was raised in a farming village! We used to tell scary stories about those demons. We even built scarecrows to frighten them away."

"Not to mention they're sort of… gangly," Urushihara said. "They make me feel like I'm playing Resident Evil or Silent Hill. Something scary. Trust us, Suzuno, the world is definitely better off without that one."

"Your video game obsession aside, where exactly do you think she obtained that sword," Ashiya asked, frowning at the Demon King.

"No clue. It looked brand new, so maybe it was just forged."

"But it had your power in it," Urushihara stated, "where could they have gotten it?"

"You're guess is as good as mine," Maou shook his head.

"We can discuss it when I'm not freezing," Emi mumbled, her voice quaking as she shivered and shook. "Let's go back to the Villa Rosa."

As they went, the harsh chill seemed to fade. The snow became light and gentle, and the sky seemed to regain a little lost light. Maou let everyone else carry the supplies up to the Demon Castle before going to get Alas-Ramus from Lailah, Nord, and Acies-Ara.

When he arrived back in his apartment, the others had already begun the process of unpacking and sorting out all of the equipment. From the way things looked, they were set for some time.

"It's best to be prepared," Ashiya commented. "We have no clue how long we'll be stuck in Ente Isla, due to the Hero's lack of experience with opening Gates."

"The more you rub it in, the harder it'll be for me to learn," Emi groaned, collapsing under the weight of everyone's expectations.

"Mama!"

"Alas!"

Maou gave Emi the toddler, wondering how the little girl could bring so much joy when things were so dark and grim. Emi's face lit up, and she hugged the girl to her chest, laughing as she bounced her daughter.

"Mama! You'we back! Did you bwing me anyfin'?"

"I brought lots of stuff that we'll use on our camping trip," Emi smiled.

Maou grimaced. He hated having to lie to his daughter. In truth, Alas-Ramus couldn't quite grasp the suicidal aspect of their plan. She was smart, though, and if she managed to put two and two together, she might not want anyone to go to Ente Isla. Least of all, her favorite Uncle...

"Woocifah! I wanna see Uncwe Woocifah!"

"I'm kinda busy, kiddo," Urushihara muttered, tapping away at the keyboard of his laptop.

"Don't cawe! Wanna see you!"

"You can see me now," the fallen angel replied, "and you can't fool me. You just want to play on the computer, don't you?"

"Yeah!"

"At least you're honest," Urushihara sighed, standing from the computer to take Alas-Ramus from Emi.

"I don't know how you get along so well with her," Emi said in disbelief.

"What can I say? I'm the cool, laid back Uncle. It's probably the reason she says my name better than anyone else's, too. You see, Emi, when you're not imposing your will on a kid, they tend to be grateful for it," Urushihara explained, looking smug.

Maou scoffed. "Yeah, you'd know all about that. I bet you were a tough kid to raise."

"Let's just say I've never been a fan of authority figures." Urushihara took a seat at the computer with Alas-Ramus, who began to smack the keyboard happily.

"Emilia! Satan! Get down here and help us sort out the packs," Suzuno commanded. She was kneeling on the floor by Ashiya, and the both of them were looking rather lost as they rummaged through the shopping bags.

"In a second. Ashiya, toss me that sword, would you?" Maou asked.

He extended a hand and caught it before carefully unwrapping it and laying it on the table, where he looked it over carefully.

It was made of a strange metal, as though the steel had been mixed with something else. The sword was black and incandescent. Looking at it in the right light sent streaks of violet, red and green shooting along the blade.

It was a double sided, straight bladed, hand and a half longsword, and extremely well made. Though it was strangely devoid of any sort of fancy etchings, metalwork, or maker's mark, it was set with a single bloody ruby in the center of the guard.

"There's something familiar about this," Maou muttered.

He ran a finger along the blade, savoring how the demonic energy within swirled around at his touch, like running his hand through a fog.

"If I may offer a guess, sire… I'd say that sword was crafted from the last remaining piece of you in Ente Isla," Ashiya said, carefully rolling up sleeping bags and attaching them to the harnesses on top of their packs.

Maou blinked. "Last remaining piece? I don't think I lost anything in-"

The Demon King broke off, running a hand through his hair, right over the spot where his horns grew when he took on his demon form.

"My horn," Maou scowled, glaring at the blade.

"Indeed, sire. It's the only explanation for the sword having your distinct magical signature."

Emi looked the blade over before taking a deep breath and frowning.

"Smells like burning horn," she said dryly, stepping across the laid out packs to help Ashiya and Suzuno.

The Demon Lord stared at the sword thoughtfully. He had no real use for it. He could make swords out of broomsticks, and with the Crown of Sataniel, he was as sure of himself as he could get (which was saying something, given his god-level ego, and his ambitions for world domination). The only other people with no backup source of demonic energy would be Lailah and Ashiya, and Maou knew who he wanted to carry the sword.

"Alciel," Maou said suddenly, "this is yours now."

"Apologies, my king, but-"

"No buts!" Maou threw the sword back to Ashiya, who caught it by the hilt and raised an eyebrow at his leigelord. "That's an order. You're going to carry this sword with you at all times, and use it whenever you need magic. I'll not have my top advisor waste his strength when I have excess."

Ashiya'a lip trembled, but he sniffled loudly before fixing a determined expression onto his face.

"As you wish, King Satan."

* * *

That evening was a raucous affair for the Ente Islans in the Villa Rosa. Suzuno and Lailah worked together to make a large feast, and anything that was leftover would be stored in a cooler, just in case there were no fish to catch at the cabin.

Everyone sat down at a pair of long, foldable tables that Nord provided. No one was forced to sit on the floor and squash themselves around the Devil's table. Emi and Maou took turns feeding Alas-Ramus, who was sitting in a plastic height chair Maou had bought for her earlier.

Even Urushihara (who had been lured from his closet by Suzuno) sat at the table. He looked slightly out of place, until he struck up a conversation with Lailah about the side effects of being a fallen angel. Nord smiled and laughed with Acies-Ara, complementing Emi on her parenting technique.

Ashiya spoke with Suzuno about the food, and for the first time, he made no effort to speak ill of her cooking. He even went so far as to praise it, claiming that he could no longer taste the celestial force.

In fact, all of the residents were being much kinder than usual. They were united in that they would soon be returning to Ente Isla. They all smiled and laughed and talked like a strange, mismatched family. To the casual viewer, it would make little sense. To someone who knew of their true identities, it would make no sense at all. But to them, the outsiders from another world, who'd fought hard and spilled blood in name of their little family, and who were about to make the ultimate sacrifice, it was as though things were as they should be. Throughout the night, each of them found themselves taking a moment to appreciate their odd gathering of fellow Ente Islans. No one seemed all that concerned with titles or roles, and each of them smiled to themselves, wishing that their little party could go on forever, uninterrupted by their responsibilities.

Night gave way to morning once again, but for all anyone knew, it was the last sunrise they would see on Earth. They stayed awake, watching it as it rose before slowly drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Chiho woke up that morning, yawning as she reached over to her nightstand and grabbed her phone. To her pleasant surprise, she had received three messages. She rubbed her eyes and frowned at the glaring screen as she adjusted to the brightness. It seemed Rika had gotten a hold of her first.

 _'_ _I plan on going with them. Meet outside Villa Rosa later for stake out if interested. Love you.'_

Chiho's eyes shot wide. Rika couldn't seriously be considering going to Ente Isla… could she? And she definitely wasn't inviting Chiho to go along, right? That would be irresponsible, considering Chiho's school life, job, parents, friends, and everyone else who would notice her absence.

The high schooler then thought about Maou and the others. They were going to try and put an end to all the fighting. Chiho shivered as a fire burned within her. It ate away at her fear and hesitation until she realized that she wanted nothing more than to join her friends in the other world. She needed to do what was right, and that was supporting her comrades.

She put her fingers to the keys and replied with two words: ' _I'm in_.'

Energy poured through Chiho, and sent tingles running along her limbs. She was going to do it. She was going to Ente Isla! The second message was strange in that it had no sender. There wasn't even an explanation. There was, quite simply, no number to be had.

 _'_ _Everyone is leaving today. You must enter the Gate.'_

Chiho had no clue as to who the message was from, but she was sure it would be a mistake for her to simply ignore it. She saved that for later though, as she had another message from someone she rarely ever texted.

"Kisaki?" Chiho wondered aloud.

She opened the text and read through it, learning that Maou had been suspended for whatever he'd done to her. Apparently, he could return to work after he'd gotten his stuff together, and apologized to Chiho.

The high school girl sighed and laid back against her pillows. She had to wake up and get ready for school. If things went wrong and the Ente Islans left early, she might be stuck cutting class to go and follow after them. She took a deep breath, astounded by the drive in her veins. Chiho felt like she could practically taste the air in Ente Isla already. Even if she died, she wanted her friends to know that she cared for them as much as they cared for her.

* * *

The sun set earlier in the evening, though it was still warmer than it had been for the last week. The inhabitants of the Villa Rosa awoke to a gorgeous skyline filled with oranges, reds, and pinks. Two years of accumulated anticipation became etched into the faces of the Devil, the Hero, and their allies. This was it, the moment they'd dreamt of ever since they'd first come to Earth. Surely the half an hour they had to wait for the sun to sink beneath the horizon would be no problem, especially after waiting for so long.

No one spoke. No one dared move. It seemed everyone was lost in thoughts of home. Emi and Nord saw a little house amid a field of golden wheat. Maou and Ashiya saw grand corridors and shadowy throne rooms. Urushihara and Lailah saw splendid golden streets and white marble terraces.

With the prospects of returning to their old homes actually substantial for the first time in ages, a nervous excitement wove through the group. However, unknown to any of them, two young women were standing on the other side of the cinder block wall that separated the yard from the street.

Chiho and Rika stood at the ready. They would be entering the Gate just after the last of the Ente Islan troop, as it would take a few moments to close completely. Rika was wearing a coat over her normal clothes, along with a backpack full of necessities. Chiho was packed similarly, but she wore a strange frown on her face. Rika supposed it was because the girl was leaving her family behind to help her friends. If they had switched places, Rika was not sure she would want to leave, but with things as they were, she found the girl's resolve inspiring.

"Can we leave yet?" groaned the familiar voice of the NEET fallen angel.

His whining made Chiho wince, but she clapped a hand to her mouth so that her gasp was not heard. No one seemed to notice, and the only response came from Ashiya.

"When the sun has fully set, then yes, we will leave."

"But why do we have to wait for the sun to go down?"

"So that no one will be able to see eight people vanish into a portal to another world, moron," Maou said. "Seriously, did you listen to the plan at all?"

"I got the gist of it." Urushihara mumbled.

Rika could practically hear the smirk on Urushihara's face, and she thought she understood Ashiya's disdain for him a little better.

"Hey, do you guys think Chiho and Rika will be ok?" Emi wondered.

"If we can pull this off, they'll be just fine. Humans are great at bouncing back. Just wait, they'll forget all about us in a few months. They'll get so caught up in their own lives that we'll be dismissed as figments of their imagination or something," Maou laughed.

"Don't insult their intelligence-" Emi began.

Ashiya cut her off, "His majesty means no disrespect. He is simply voicing his hopes that they will be fine without us."

"I can speak for myself," Maou muttered.

"If you spoke for yourself all the time, you'd likely be dead by now, sire."

The silence returned in full force. The sun had fallen behind the shadow of Tokyo, but its residual light kept the sky bright for another twenty minutes. Finally, it grew dark to the point where vision became limited, and Maou stood up from his seat on the bottom of the steps of the Villa Rosa. He dusted off his pants and zipped up his hooded sweatshirt before turning to look at the old place one last time.

He recalled the first time he'd ever laid eyes on it. He'd thought of the place as unfit for habitation. It turned out that he had been wrong. Coming home to a place all his own each night after work had made that little apartment into a home. There had been fights and arguments, laughter, tears, and despair the likes of which he couldn't have foreseen. Looking at it now, there was no way of knowing that any of his memories of the room 201 had ever even taken place. For all its faded glory, it was impossible to see how much it truly meant to the Demon Lord and his Generals. Maou took a deep breath of chill night air and silently thanked the apartment for playing host to a broken down bum of a Devil, who could've stood to appreciate the place a little more. With a sigh, he stuffed his hands into his pockets and turned away from the building, hoping that the landlady wouldn't send a bunch of bills to his address after he'd died.

"Well, let's get this show on the road," Maou said to those gathered outside of Castle.

They all stood in a circle with their hands in their coat pockets, looking impatient. Urushihara was shivering, even with his new thermal coat. Ashiya, in his wisdom, had put on a simple black beanie hat, which was now dotted with white flakes of snow.

All around them, snow had begun to fall. Everyone stared at Maou, who was watching it drift down thoughtlessly.

"Yo, you can be nostalgic and crap when we have a fire going at camp," Urushihara piped up.

Instead of smacking the fallen angel over the back of the head, Emi simply rolled her eyes and scoffed at his lack of empathy.

'I'll call _that_ the one I owe him,' Emi thought, 'and the next time he says something stupid, I'm definitely gonna hit him.'

"I'm taking a moment to undo the seals on the Crown, dipshit," Maou muttered.

His fingers were wrapped around the Crown of Sataniel, which he'd managed to wrap in a cloth and stuff into his sweatshirt pocket. Unsealing it was a delicate process, as he needed to use enough energy to open and control a Gate without returning to his demon form. Any other demon might have failed, but the Demon King not so careless.

"Got it," he muttered, closing his eyes and tilting his head back.

About ten feet off to the right of the group, in the front yard of the Villa Rosa, a swirling vortex of power appeared with the sound of a hurricane. Everyone turned to stare at it in awe. Each of them could sense the familiar power coming through the Gate. Somewhere on the other side of that shadowy abyss laid the lands of Ente Isla, which was rich in magical energy. The glowing borders of the portal hissed as snow struck it and melted away in an instant.

"Home," Emi muttered to herself.

Urushihara didn't bother to mock the weakness in her tone. He found that the familiar energy coming through the Gate was enough to bring tears to his eyes. No longer would he be called a NEET. He would return to his station of Demon General. No one would mock him again without severe and swift retribution.

"Ok, let's get a move on," Maou said, "keeping this Gate open is getting harder and harder to do without regaining my true form."

Emi went first, walking purposefully into the portal until her feet left the ground and she was pulled forward by the power of the Gate. Lailah, Nord, and Acies went next, followed by Suzuno and Urushihara. Ashiya gave his king a slight bow before diving into the Gate headfirst. Then, it was Maou's turn to go.

Within his mind, he could sense the slumbering presence of Alas-Ramus, whom had been put to bed early. He hoped she would stay asleep while he passed through the Gate, otherwise he was doomed to carry a shrieking toddler the whole time. Maou took a deep breath, preparing himself for the journey home when a familiar voice behind him made him whip around.

"GO, GO, GOOO!"

Hurtling at the Demon King, heads down and coats flapping in the wind, were Chiho and Rika.

"What the- Hey, what's the big ideaAAAAAAAAAAAA?!"

By the time Maou had finished asking his question, the two girls had tackled the Demon King backward, sending all three of them careening into the Gate before it slammed shut behind them, leaving the front yard of the Villa Rosa barren, with several sets of footprints in the snow that ended where the Gate had been.

* * *

Emi and the others reached Ente Isla fairly quickly. Apparently, the Demon King had used his magic to speed up the trip through the Gate, for it only took a few minutes to traverse. The Gate remained open behind them, but Maou was nowhere to be seen.

"He probably forgot to take a whiz before we left," Urushihara laughed.

"That is your King, and I'll remind you that seeing as we are back in Ente Isla, such treasonous speech is punishable by death," Ashiya said.

"If you think you can take me, be my guest," Urushihara said, raising an eyebrow and grinning wickedly.

"Shut up," Emi said, waving a hand at the demons, "I think I hear Maou."

Sure enough, his cries echoed through the Gate, growing louder with each passing moment.

"DaaaaAAAAAAMMNNN IIIIIIIITTTTT!"

Maou hit the ground, looking as though he'd put on quite a bit of weight… like, two more bodies worth of weight. That was when Chiho and Rika shook their heads, noticed they were still alive, and high-fived.

"Yes! Operation 'Invade Ente Isla' was a huge…success," Chiho's voice grew infinitesimal as she noticed the angry stares of everyone around her.

"No, it wasn't," Emi growled, "you two are going right back into that Gate!"

Maou freed himself from the dead weight of Chiho and Rika and pushed himself to his feet. He cussed under his breath, noting how his entire front was now wet and muddy.

"Aw, man, this sucks. I just had these washed… and you two! What the hell were you thinking?! Now I have to waste even more magic sending you both back," he yelled, throwing his hands over his head.

That was when a hunting horn blasted its call across the land. Maou stopped yelling for a moment and took in his surroundings.

The air was brisk, and the sun was rising in the east. The field they stood in was filled with dew-drenched knee high grass. From across the large, barren field, Maou could make out a forest on his right. To his left, the land dropped off before sprawling out and giving him a view of large farmsteads and wide fields of crops. In front of him rose a set of foothills which were wrapped in a dense fog.

The thunder of hooves grew loud, and from the forest galloped a large battalion of men in shining steel plate armor. The man in the lead blew a fine ivory horn that was edged with silver. Unlike the men under his command, he wore no helmet, and his blonde hair and beard shone brightly in the sun, even from across the field. A cape billowed spectacularly behind him as he steered his company towards the Demon King and his allies.

"Those are Knight from the Church," Suzuno noted. "I'm not sure which order."

"Templars," Emi said. "Those are Templars from the Order of the Holy Trinity."

"How can you tell," Ashiya asked, stepping forward to peer at the soldiers with his superior demonic vision.

"Because I recognize the man in the lead," Emi said miserably. "That's Sir Henric. He's the one who taught me how to fight with a sword."

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Ladies and Gentleman, the Devil has returned to Ente Isla.**

 **Everyone's gone to Ente Isla.**

 **Even Chiho and Rika, those clever girls. This can only end in disaster and hilarity.**

 **And for those of you expecting more... you can stop that right now. I plan on taking some much needed quality time to refocus my chakras or whatever. I don't plan on updating the story until it's completely finished. It may take some time, but I think the results will be worth it... Let me be clear, I'm NOT abandoning this fic. I'll be working on it, but not updating. This will allow for a better story, in my opinion, as I will have better continuity, and fewer grammar and spelling errors**

 **So my first plans were to get this fic completed by the anniversary of my posting it here on FF. Then my plan was to do five chapters. Then I settled with just getting the group to Ente Isla. I hit that mark, but that's about it. Also, I've been shortening my chapters, because thirteen thousand words for a chapter is too god damn many.**

 **Now, I would've gotten farther, but in a moment of inspiration, I added the Ala. For those of you unfamiliar, Ala are demons from Russia. They take the forms of ravens, dragons, etc and create bad weather to ruin crops. Feel free to look them up on Wikipedia. Oh, and the Devil quit his job... or he tried too, but Kisaki won't let him get away that easy... and what about the United Demon's Militia? Geez, you'd think someone had it out for these poor guys...**

 **MUSIC!**

 **Demons-Joji (Papa Franku is making music again)**

 **I Need a Win-Unlike Pluto**

 **Nothing Wrong With Me-Unlike Pluto**

 **Unstoppable-The Score**

 **Revolution-The Score**

 **Say It Ain't So-Wheezer**

 **Street Fight-Adam Jensen**

 **Bad Man-Esterly ft. Austin Jenkles**

 **Death Valley-Fall Out Boy**

 **Save Rock and Roll-Fall Out Boy**

 **Play With Fire- Sam Tinnesz**

 **Legends Are Made-Sam Tinnesz**

 **Wolves-Sam Tinnesz**

 **Heaven-Los Lonely Boys**

 **The Devil You Know-X Ambassadors**

 **Quantum Immortality-Crywolf**

 **That's all I have for now. Next time I post, this story will be done! Thanks for reading thus far! Oh, and Happy New Year.**


	35. The Devil and the Hero: Mistakes

Maou closed the Gate, half hoping that the Templars hadn't seen it. He'd never known humans to be all that perceptive… perhaps they'd just seen Emilia and were coming over to say hello.

"Company, halt!"

The man in the lead raised a fist, signaling his men to stop. Another signal, and the men on horseback all cantered into a circle, surrounding Emi and the others. The metallic ringing of swords being drawn echoed from all around the group as the Templars drew their blades and bore steel.

"Emilia the Hero! It's been a long time! I thought you were dead, my dear."

The blonde man leapt down from his saddle. He spoke in Centruvian, and his voice was deep and kindly. He swept his hair from his face, revealing somewhat weathered features, a forehead creased with frown lines, and a wide smile. He approached Emi with the familiarity of family, as though he were a long lost uncle.

Emi's sword appeared in her hands, and Henric eyed it for a moment before smiling even wider.

"Ah, yes! One Wing! An excellent blade- I presume you handle it as expertly as ever?" Henric posed.

"Better than you could guess," Emi replied.

When it became clear she had no interest in furthering the conversation, Henric turned his attention to Emi's companions.

"It seems you keep some strange company… I'm sure you have quite the story to tell us," he said. "Come, let us return to the capital. We can rest and relax for a while. News of your return will be spread throughout Ente Isla within the fortnight, and you can greet your adoring public as the Hero who vanquished the Demon King!"

"I have no intention of being used by the Church again," Emi muttered. Her words caused a ripple of uncertainty to wash over Henric's men. They peered at each other and shook their heads. What was the Hero talking about?

"You've not lost any of your spunk," Henric said. His smile was as cold as his icy blue eyes as he took a menacing step forward. "But I'm afraid you misunderstood my invitation. It is not one that you can turn down."

With a snap of Henric's fingers, the knights pressed inward until their steeds were vying for space. The swords they had drawn were lowered, all aimed at Emi and her friends. There was no way out of the encirclement. Henric smirked and raised his arms.

"You see, even though you are the Hero, I can sense that you are no match for my forces. Surrender peacefully, and I may yet spare your friends."

"Tch," Ashiya scoffed, "do not think to lump us in with the Hero. While we are allies, we are _not_ friends."

Sir Henric frowned at Ashiya, who glared back at the man.

"What is your name, lad?"

"How dare you?" Ashiya asked indignantly. "I am far older than you could possibly imagine, whelp. I am Alciel, Scourge of the Eastern Continent!"

The templars began to whisper amongst themselves. A few looked deathly afraid of Alciel and his venomous amber gaze, as if they could see the likeness of the great Demon General in the man before them. Suzuno pulled a ladle from her bag and deftly brought it down on Ashiya's head, causing him to yelp in pain.

"Idiot! We are trying to remain incognito," Suzuno hissed in Japanese. "You've gone and blown our cover!"

"It's not like it really matters," Maou shrugged, grinning as he cracked his knuckles, "all we have to do is take care of these guys and we're in the clear… as soon as they saw Emi, their fates were sealed."

The Hero turned to look at the Devil, whose eyes were now shining with a keen red light. She was about to remind him that he wasn't to use magic when Urushihara said as much.

"We're not allowed to use _external_ magic," Maou reasoned. "But if we channel our magic inward, we can regain our demonic strength and speed… using this, we can defeat these knights, no sweat!"

"You there, foreigner! Do you speak Centruvian? Step back, or be swept away by the might of the Church's finest," Sir Henric threatened, giving Maou a hard glare as he unsheathed his sword.

"Of course I speak Centruvian, dullard. I mastered the language in a few short days after learning of its existence using my superior intellect. Who are you to address the Demon King and his Generals?" Maou demanded.

Awe and outrage swirled through the rank and file Templars. Some chortled and lowered their swords, but Sir Henric kept his guard up. Whoever the young man with the glowing red eyes and black hair was, he exuded a presence that wasn't even remotely human, and he had no reason to lie about his identity.

"I grow weary of this," Henric uttered, "speak plainly, or I'll set my men to kill you and leave you for the carrion scavengers."

Maou smiled, jerking his head from side to side as he stretched his neck. After a moment, he opened the floodgates of his magic. It flowed into his limbs, filling him with a strange fire: the strength and stamina of the Demon King at his peak. Maou vanished, or so it appeared to the soldiers surrounding him. Henric, however, managed to follow his movements. He had jumped, leaping no less than ten feet in the air in the blink of an eye. He came down and landed on the flank of a soldier's war charger. With a kick, Maou sent the man flying out of his saddle before taking the reins and steering the stallion away from the encirclement. Chaos overtook the Templars, and their lines crumbled.

"Don't just stand there," Maou shouted in Japanese, "help me! Make sure that no one hurts Chi or Rika!"

Before Henric could strike at Maou, Emi intercepted and threw the first blow; a powerful thrust that would've pierced the engine block of a car like butter. The Templar pushed his cape behind him and parried the strike as Urushihara and Ashiya followed Maou's example in dispatching the soldiers. Suzuno erected a barrier around Rika and Chiho while Nord protected his wife. Acies-Ara leapt through the air with ease, hopping from horse to horse as she rang templars' helmets and undid saddle straps, all without taking a hit.

"My lord, help us-ARGH!"

The soldier's cries were abruptly cut off by the sound of a neck breaking. Emi saw Henric wince painfully, but aside from that, he showed no signs of having heard his men's plea for help.

"You've grown into a fine swordswoman," the old Templar said, his face red as he defended himself against Emi's onslaught.

"No doubt your training had something to do with that," Emi replied, breathing hard from the effort of her offensive.

"Perhaps… but your skills have developed further. Your fighting style is different- less rigid. You've developed something all your own. This is the sign of a truly exceptional fighter!"

As they spoke, steel rang out and sparks flew. Their blades met with all the ferocity and speed of a rabid chimera. As they fought, the world around them seemed to fall away. Emi found herself over assessing her moves. Were they too flashy? Was he truly overwhelmed, or was it a ploy? Was he trying to use flattery to unsettle her?

As she tried to figure it out, her body worked on autopilot. Without thinking, she slid her blade along Sir Henric's longsword. The guards clashed, and as Henric pushed against her, Emi twisted her wrist and locked their swords together, pushing upward to performing a flawless disarm. Her old master's sword cleaved the air before impaling itself in the dirt and quivering.

Emi raised One Wing to Henric's collar, but he was already outlined in celestial force. It curled off his armor in silvery tendrils as he flung out a hand and barraged Emi with holy fire. Emi dispersed it with a casual slice of her blade, but the old Templar was already closing, his fists bleeding magic power as he prepared for hand to hand combat.

Maou found that Acies-Ara, while great for distracting or hindering Templars, had no desire to take their lives. Instead, she simply grinned as she foiled their attempts to escape, effectively leaving them at the mercy of three demons that were cloaked in human skin.

"Tell me, Emilia! Since when does the Hero consort with demons?"

"Since the Church tried to kill me, cover it up, and use me for their own ends," Emi hollered, ducking and weaving as she tried to get out of range of Henric's fists. "At least demons are forthcoming about their desire to kill me! Stab me in the front, I say, or not at all!"

"I assure you that the Templars had nothing to do with that betrayal! For Heaven's sake, I helped _raise_ you! And now you return, only to slaughter my men and attack me?"

"I came here to destroy Heaven! Your men's lives were forfeit when they tried to hurt my friends!"

"So suddenly following orders warrants the death penalty by decree of the Hero? Where's the logic in that? I taught you more than swordsmanship and magic, I taught you to _think_!"

"I-"

Emi froze, stunned by her mentor's words. It seemed so simple in hindsight: they could've just wiped the memories of the Templars after knocking them unconscious. Instead, they were now dead and broken, their bodies scattered across the field as their mounts fled. In some cases, the horses were dragging the corpses away by their stirrups.

Before Emi could recover, Henric threw a hard uppercut, striking Emi just under the ribcage. Her breath whooshed out of her lungs as she fell to her knees. The holy sword vanished as she panicked, struggling to draw breath. A shadow fell over her, and she looked up to see Henric, still outlined in celestial force. He looked much the same as he had years ago, albeit a few extra wrinkles. Disappointment was etched into his face, as though Emi had just dropped her sword during a difficult training session.

"I'm taking you in… the Church will try you for destroying my vassals, but I'm sure I can get them to spare your life… for now, sleep."

Henric rested the tip of an armored finger against the middle of Emi's forehead. Celestial light glowed around his hand as Emi's eyelids fluttered and drooped. She swayed, but before the magic could wholly take effect, someone caught Henric's wrist and ripped his hand away from Emi.

"Nord Justina," Henric observed, looking the wheat farmer up and down. "I thought you'd died in the war."

"I didn't. And if you think you can take my daughter, you're dead wrong," Nord growled.

Henric scoffed before channeling more celestial force into his hands. He willed it to burn like holy fire, but Nord simply frowned a little deeper, ignoring the pain of his searing flesh.

"You're just a wheat farmer," Henric spat. "I am the greatest swordsman of the Church, and a master of holy magic!"

"No. I _was_ a wheat farmer. The war took that from me, just like it took my daughter's innocent childhood… What you see before you is a man who has lost far too much to let anything come between him and his daughter ever again."

Nord reeled back, feeling every muscle in his forearms bulge and ripple as he clenched a fist. Before the Templar could react, Nord had sank his burnt hand into Henric's face, breaking his nose, and forcing the bones upward, into his brain. Henric fell to the ground, lifeless, as the last of his magical strength faded away and scorched the grass around his body.

Emi found her breath and shook her head to regain her clarity before being helped to her feet by her father.

"Are you alright?" he inquired.

"Sore and tired," she admitted, "but still alive."

Suzuno had wrapped Rika and Chiho in a shroud of protective holy magic before covering their eyes and holding them both close. They had been waiting patiently for the battle to end, trying their best to ignore the screams as their friends killed the Templars. Suzuno felt she couldn't shut her eyes tightly enough, but it did no good. The howls of agony were all too familiar to the Inquisitor. Her only regret was that Chiho and Rika could hear everything she did. _They_ were never supposed to have to deal with all the death and horror.

Their jobs done, Maou, Urushihara, and Ashiya all landed on the ground, picking through the carnage in search of survivors. When they came across one, it was simple enough work for them to crush their vital organs under foot. Even though they weren't technically human, they didn't seem to enjoy the process at all. Maou noted that Ashiya and Urushihara looked quite pale and shaken. After living in a peaceful society for so long, it was frightening to have to fight for survival against normal humans. Two long years in exile had more of an effect on them than they would've thought possible.

"We should find a way to get rid of all the bodies," Maou said.

"There's no use," Lailah sighed, looking down at the corpse of a man whose face was twisted in fear. "We need to move. No doubt the celestial force released here will alert others from the Church. Suzuno, undo your barrier, lead Rika and Chiho into the foothills. Quickly now!"

Suzuno nodded and undid her magic with a snap of her fingers. She commanded that Rika and Chiho keep their eyes shut before taking each by the hand and leading them across the field, off to the north, where the foothills were now bathed in a glorious golden glow from the rising sun.

"Satan, if I might have a word in private," Lailah said.

Maou nodded before turning to Ashiya and Urushihara. "You two go with Suzuno and the girls. Protect them from anyone who might attack. Keep your wits about you- use a pulse to search for approaching holy magic."

When they had gone, trudging through the dew covered grass after the girls, Lailah led Maou away from the battlefield, leaving Emi, Nord, and Acies-Ara to speak. Behind them, crows began to descend, shrieking in their garbled tongue as they sought their next meal.

"You wasted no time in regaining your bloodlust and depravity," Lailah commented, coming to a stop with Maou as they surveyed the farmlands spread out before them.

"I'd hardly call it bloodlust," Maou sighed, looking at his hands, which were shaking with adrenaline and stress.

"Hmm. So I suppose you were acting in our best interests?"

"Memories can be recovered after they're erased. We would've wasted too much time messing around with the Templars, and Emi is a priority for Heaven. I did what was best for the plan."

"Ah, so you weren't just playing the loving husband?" Lailah teased.

Maou growled in the back of his throat, looking slightly queasy. First he killed a bunch of Church soldiers, now he was discussing his marriage with his fallen angel step mother. Things couldn't get much more complicated… or so he thought.

'And now Alas-Ramus is crying in my mind,' Maou thought loudly over the sound of the toddler's shrieks. He winced in pain, but Lailah didn't seemed to notice. Her eyes were locked on the farmlands, as though she could see that little wheat farm she and Nord had occupied before Emi was born.

"I jest, dear. I know that you and Emilia are… well, you're not friendly. Still, I'd like you to do something for me. Think of it as repayment for the life I spared, all those years ago."

"This must be one hell of a favor if you're pulling out the big guns," Maou said bitterly.

Lailah was silent for a moment before she clasped her hands behind her back. The sun was warm and bright against their shoulders as they looked out over Ente Isla.

"I'd like you to protect Emilia."

"I've been trying-"

"No. Not like that. You saw how she froze. She is still bound to the Church. They raised her, cared for her, taught her all she knows. She was raised as a human, so she has qualms with shedding human blood. Should such an occasion arise where we should need to fight again, I'd like you to take care of it."

"So just because I'm the Demon King, I'm supposed to be alright with slaughtering innocent humans? Is that what you're saying?"

"Again, no. I'm saying that so long as Emi considers herself human, she is a liability on the field of battle. Set her up against an angel and- well, you've seen her. Humans… they're her weak spot. Her fatal flaw is compassion and empathy; I'll not see her dead because she refuses to fight a human."

"I think you underestimate your daughter," Maou said. "She's slow on the uptake, I grant you, but she knows what needs to be done. If she didn't, she wouldn't be here, volunteering for a suicide mission."

Lailah frowned, but then a small smile crept across her lips.

"I suppose you have a point."

"Obviously. Still, I'll keep an eye on her," Maou promised, running a hand through his hair as he thought about his already expansive list of things he had to do. Between watching Emi for stupidity and plotting to destroy Heaven, he felt he had his work cut out for him. And then there was Alas-Ramus' diaper situation to deal with…

"Thank you, Satan."

"It's Maou." The Devil insisted, turning away from the view to sulk back towards the battlefield. "Call me Maou."

* * *

Much to the surprise of the war party, there was a small village nestled in a valley between the foothills. Upon entering the rather rundown tavern, they learned that they were, in fact, on the Western Continent, not far from Emi's home village of Sloan.

"I thought the countryside looked familiar," Emi noted quietly.

They also learned that the village they were currently staying the night in was approximately ten leagues away from the mountain Nord had built his cabin on.

"How far is a league?" Rika asked Ashiya in an undertone as a seedy looking barman placed their food and drink down in front of them.

"About three miles," Ashiya replied, picking at a leg of mutton and scowling at it. Somehow, he found he no longer enjoyed meat as much as he had before being trapped in Japan.

Suzuno, Maou, Nord, and Emi, on the other hand, all seemed to enjoy the food quite thoroughly. They tore at the mutton and bread with glee, rivulets of juice dripping form their chins as they groaned in appreciation. Their gluttony was second only to Acies-Ara and Alas-Ramus, both of whom could eat their weight in food and still be hungry.

"That'll be sixty silvers," the barkeep grunted, his fists against his hips as he thrust out his potbelly. For the first time, Maou realized that he hadn't thought to prepare any Ente Islan coin for the trip. His wallet was stuffed with yen, but he didn't have two coppers to rub together.

The barkeep was a beefy man that probably stood taller than Ashiya. He had a swollen gut, a bad comb over, and a surprisingly large, well-oiled mustache that took up most of his face. His forearms and biceps were rippling with muscle, and were probably as wide around as Urushihara's entire body. With every passing second, his scowl deepened. Maou tried to smile, but it came up more like a grimace. He was searching for the right words he could use to wriggle out of paying when Urushihara wiped his mouth and stood up. He rummaged in his pockets for a moment before pulling out several large pieces of gold.

"Here's for the food. How many rooms do you have available?" Urushihara inquired.

"Six," the barkeep grunted.

"We'll take four."

"As you say, serrah. I'll draw up your keys and show you to your rooms when you've all finished eating."

The man nodded to Urushihara before heading back to the bar, leaving everyone else to stare quite intently at the NEET who'd just paid their tab.

"Unless you've discovered a philosopher's stone or a golden goose, you should be as broke as I am," Maou said indignantly.

Urushihara smirked, enjoying the stunned looks on his friends' faces before heaving a sigh and shrugging.

"I may or may not have borrowed some gold from Bernael's secret office vault."

"You went back to that cretin's office and stole ancient imperial gold that may or may not have been cursed?!" Suzuno asked.

"Oh, yeah, it was totally cursed. I waited until I had enough power saved up to go back and remove it. Besides, I didn't spend any of the gold until now. If I hadn't taken it, we'd be out on our asses, so I think what you're trying to say is 'Thanks for looking out, Urushihara, you're the greatest!'"

Ashiya moaned and put his head in his hands. Maou just smiled lamely for a moment before nodding and taking a long drought of his mead. After eating, everyone went to their rooms to get some sleep, even though it was only early in the afternoon. They had gone from Japan, where night had fallen, to Ente Isla, where the sun was rising. In contrast, where Japan was beginning to get frigid and winter was fast approaching, Ente Isla was fresh from winter's clutches, so everything was wet and bleak.

Maou, Emi, and Alas-Ramus bunked in one room. In another, Urushihara and Ashiya made due. Lailah, Nord, and Acies-Ara shared a room, too, leaving Suzuno, Chiho, and Rika in the final room.

The rooms were sparely furnished, as was expected from such a small establishment, but with the addition of their sleeping bags and camping supplies, they felt a little more hospitable. Before going to bed, Urushihara was sent out to procure inconspicuous clothing for everyone, as their Japanese attire, while simple and unadorned, was still too noticeable. If they were to travel the countryside on foot, they needed to blend in from a distance.

In the morning everyone woke, packed their things, put on their rather bland-looking tunics and breeches (which smelled moth-eaten and moldy) and went down to the tavern to get breakfast. Of course, in Ente Isla, breakfast consisted of sausage links, bread, honey and mead. It was odd to think everyone consumed alcohol on a daily basis, but it certainly made the morning a little easier to deal with for the war party, all of whom had large dark circles under their eyes.

Urushihara threw down another two gold coins for the barkeep, who smiled at his generosity before everyone fastened on thick black cloaks and started on the road leading out of the village. It wound up the side of a large hill, zig-zagging back and forth through tall trees as they ascended. The mud made it difficult to traverse, and recent mudslides raked the hill. It was a miracle none of them had struck the village.

"I don't think I'd ever build a village here," Nord said to himself. "It's terrible for farming."

"I suppose they mostly rely on trade, but it still seems like an odd place to make a home," Emi agreed.

After half an hour, they came to the top of the hill, where the land of the western continent was laid out before them. In the distance, they could see the mountain where Nord had staked a claim. For miles around the land was rolling and cultivated. Here and there sprawling farmsteads and towns could be seen, all interconnected by a series of thin, dark lines that crisscrossed the land.

"If we plan this right, we can walk all day without running into any more towns," Lailah said.

"It would be faster to just cut straight through, though," Maou noted, holding a hand to his forehead as he scanned the lay of the land.

"I'm sure the farmers would love to have demons tromping through their crops," Urushihara said sarcastically.

"No, Satan is-" Nord began.

"Maou," the Demon King corrected him.

" _Maou_ is right. We can cut straight through. Emi and I used to do that all the time, though we usually avoided going right through their crops."

"War is not so easily forgotten," Lailah commented. "Perhaps we should stick to the roads. Times have changed here, love."

Nord frowned at his wife, as though she'd just reopened an old wound.

"War or no, I don't see any farmers giving us any trouble, and if they do, perhaps we can simply buy their silence," the wheat farmer posed.

Urushihara huffed. "Yeah, cause I'm made of money."

"Well, how much gold did you steal," Ashiya asked scathingly.

"More than a little, less than a lot."

"Enough," Emi said. "We'll go straight through. So many people traveling together through these lands would cause too many questions to be asked if we met someone on the road. We'll steer clear of the fields and try to stick to the edges of property lines so we don't cause a ruckus. Now let's move. We have a long walk ahead of us."

Emi readjusted the pack on her shoulder before pulling up the hood of her cloak and making her way forward, down the path that led to the bottom of the hill they were on.

From there onward, Emi was their guide. She led the way, almost as if retracing the path she and her father used to take by memory, though she adjusted her course slightly to remain out of view of the farms and towns they passed. The lack of vegetation made the land seem sad and barren. The sky was grey and overcast, and here and there patches of snow still remained, though they were quickly melting to create large puddles of water on the already saturated fields.

Emi kept up a steady march, straight through the muck and mud. With each step, she found the mountain growing taller as the miles melted away behind her. Chiho and Rika were not used to walking so far, and the lack of any sort of civilization set them on edge. The air was clean and fresh though, and it filled their lungs more fully with each breath they took. As Maou was not as recognizable as Emi, he had his hood down, and Alas-Ramus rode on his shoulders, giggling with glee as she and her papa played a game of 'I Spy'.

The day passed quickly enough, and the group walked in a state of determined silence. With each step, they could feel their lifespans shorten, as though they were walking right into the gates of Heaven, rather tramping across a wet, mushy countryside.

"I spy with my evil eye something… brown," Maou said.

"I think it's 'my little eye,'" Suzuno interjected.

"I don't have little eyes though," Maou grinned, striking Suzuno with a flamboyant crimson wink.

"Howsey! Issa bwown howsey!"

"Wha- a horsey? Where's the horsey?" Maou asked.

Alas-Ramus pointed. Off in distance, and closing fast on a road that lay to the east of the war party was not one, but six horses. Each was taller than a man, and clearly outfitted with fine silk saddle throws and polished leather saddles. Upon these horses rode six knights in armor so bright they were nearly blinding, and they galloped South, back towards that little village, at speeds only a war horse could achieve.

"Everyone get down," Emi called quietly.

She ran back to the group and quickly activated her celestial force. She was hoping to save it for opening the Gate to Heaven, but it seemed she had no choice but to hide herself and the others, or risk another fight.

She created a barrier of energy that reflected and refracted light, noise, and anything else that would give away their presence. Everyone crouched low, instinctively pulling up the hoods of their cloaks, even though they were effectively rendered invisible.

The knights approached, and it became apparent that they were more Templars, probably as highly decorated as Henric, though without their personal forces accompanying them. They rode hard, going right past Emi and the others, not paying any attention to the mysterious footprints that led back in the direction they were going.

"Why were they in such a hurry?" Acies-Ara huffed, scraping mud from her knees as she got back on her feet.

"They're probably going to search for the Templars we killed," Ashiya realized. "All the more reason for us to hurry."

The last town for them to pass was actually quite large. It looked like a privately owned castle, likely a distant relative of the Saint Aires Emperor. The walls of the fortress were made of large slabs of cold grey stone, and a wall ran all around the perimeter of the city limits. Atop the battlements, Maou could make out the distant figures of guardsman, so he urged Emi to steer them clear of the town.

"Well no shit, Maou. That's the castle of Viscount Vensley. Thirteenth cousin of the Emperor, and twenty-ninth in line for the throne," Emi scowled.

"I take it you know the guy?"

"When I was working to free the Western Continent, I had headquarters there. Vensley loved to brag about his title, and he loved to throw parties when someone in his family died."

"Sounds like a nice guy." Maou cheeked.

"Well, with each death he got a little closer to the throne… for all I know, he may have made it out of the twenties by now. He loved to set up assassinations. It was his favorite pastime… aside from concubines."

Emi blushed and stared at the ground for a moment. She leaned heavily on one leg and the mud under her boots squelched loudly. Maou looked at Emi covertly, fascinated by the myriad of emotions on her face. In a single moment, she went from embarrassed to angry to sad to amused, and then right back to embarrassed.

"Let's go," she mumbled, striding down a slope that would take them out of sight of the castle.

The land before the mountain began to fluctuate as though the earth were doing a stationary wave. As they neared the mountain, the wave became more aggressive. Each ascent made their thighs and calves burn, and each descent only served to make them appreciate that flat terrain they'd been traversing for most of the day.

As it was still late winter or early spring, the nights came early, and darkness fell rapidly. By the time Emi had actually set foot on the mountain proper, it was completely dark. The stars twinkled magnificently above them. There was something about Earth's stars that just couldn't quite match the splendor of Ente Isla's sky at night. Off in the western hemisphere, radiating a soft bluish-white glow was one moon. In the eastern hemisphere, a shining scarlet moon was framed in pink and crimson clouds.

And between the moons, which were actually planets themselves, laid a sea of stars so bright and clear it was like someone had poked holes in a pitch black canvas. None of the stars moved, like satellites did on Earth. When you actually saw a shooting star, you could tell what It was, and wish upon it.

"We could make camp here at the base and finish the climb in the morning," Nord offered.

He wasn't keen to mention it, but he wasn't as young as he once was, and he feared the journey was now too much for him to undertake in one go. Emi's eyes twinkled in the starlight as she glanced between her weary friends and the mountain path leading upward. She was so close, and she wanted to know how the cabin had fared over the years… on the other hand, they were now far enough out of the way that no one would find them unless they were intentionally searching for them. Also, aside from the small flat outcropping that the cabin was nestled upon, there was no flat surface to set up camp. Either they would have to stay the night at the foundation, or they would have to press on for another hour or so.

"We can set up camp over by those trees for cover," Emi said finally, nodding at a long arm of trees that circled the base of the mountain.

Sighs of relief went up from everyone. Rika and Chiho were so grateful that they dropped to their knees and dry-sobbed. Their legs were sore, their feet had blisters, and Ente Isla was chilly, muddy and utterly inhospitable. How did people live without running water and electricity? Sure, magic was useful, but how were they supposed to charge their phones?

Within fifteen minutes, Maou had set up the tents. Nord and Acies-Ara gathered firewood, and Ashiya had masterfully ignited the kindling with his special flint and tinder.

"Well, this sucks," Urushihara drawled, pulling a flaming marshmallow from the fire and picking it off the poker with his bare hands. He swallowed the charred marshmallow whole, while it was still aflame before stabbing at the fire. "No laptop. No closet. Fresh air… I miss Japan."

"So go back already," Emi sighed.

"No way. Unlike you, Hero, I'm fighting for NEETs everywhere! Someone needs to stand up for their right to sit around all day on their computers and shitpost."

"What?" Maou asked.

For a moment, the Demon King seriously thought that people posted pictures of fecal material on the internet, for everyone to see.

"It's from the internet. It means to post something that gets people angry, or starts fights. As a demon, I have a natural inclination for that sort of thing," Urushihara grinned.

"Wait, so you're not just annoying in person, you're annoying online, too?"

"Emi," Suzuno scolded, "be nice. Urushihara, you too. You are comrades in arms, now."

It was odd, to say the least, that Crestia Bell commanded such respect from the Hero and Lucifer, for they both looked to her and nodded solemnly before looking back to the fire. Everyone stared into it, flames reflected in their eyes.

Off to the side, on a few choice coals Lailah had pulled from the fire, glass dishes filled with leftovers were heating slowly. No one had the energy to hunt, or go in search of the stream, which might've wound around the mountain and trailed off on the other side for all anyone knew.

Bottles of water were broken open, along with a few cans of soda. It was a veritable feast for Maou, who was used to living and eating on a pauper's salary. The food seemed to bring comfort the likes of which Rika and Chiho couldn't comprehend. They were trapped in another world, but the smell of Japanese dishes and the familiar labels of water bottles and pop cans was a reminder that Japan was still there, even though it felt a million miles away at the moment. Chiho felt she understood Ashiya's love for his cape a little better. In a world that was completely foreign, the smallest familiarity was a blessing.

As everyone dished themselves food using plastic plates and utensils, things began to feel a bit more like they did in Japan. People talked and joked and argued. They smiled, even though it was a little harder than usual. It took more effort to be happy, but everyone did it. They weren't on a one way trip. Death wasn't looming over them. They weren't in enemy territory; this was just a camping trip! A well-earned, possibly permanent vacation.

"I never thought I'd be in another world," Rika said quietly, poking at her food with a fork as she tried to look around in the darkness.

"It is a little strange to think about," Chiho agreed.

"It's not so bad," Emi said, smiling at her human friends, "trust me, Ente Isla may not be as safe as Japan, but there's a beauty here in Ente Isla that can't be matched. It's a shame we couldn't have been here in the spring. It's gorgeous."

"Maybe we could visit again," Rika said hopefully.

'Fat chance of that,' Maou thought, a bitter smile crossing his face.

"Yeah, maybe," Emi's voice was strained. It was one thing to fake a smile, but trying to sound happy when all she wanted to do was break down crying was difficult.

"We'll do it in the spring," Chiho said, "and we can go sightseeing! We'll all go together! We can see the place where you grew up! Oh, and maybe even the Demon Castle!"

Everyone smiled at Chiho. She was so insistent, so sure of what was to come, that it was hard not to believe that they all might survive. At the very least, it gave them all something to hope for: something to look forward to, should they succeed.

"Yeah!" Maou said suddenly, "We'll go to my castle and I can undo the magic so we can all stay there. We can live together and just go around Ente Isla, exploring all the things we never got to see."

"It would be interesting to visit the northern continent," Ashiya chimed in.

"South, for me," Urushihara added, "I'm sick of all the cold.

"It would be nice to visit some of the larger cities as a private citizen," Suzuno muttered.

"Perhaps I can work the land again," Nord shrugged. "Get rid of the salt Lucifer's armies laid down…set it all back to rights. That way when I die, you'll have some sort of inheritance."

"You mean… I'd own the farm?" Emi asked.

"Of course. You- uh- you did plan on being a farmer again, didn't you?" Nord asked hurriedly. "I mean, you don't have too, but when you were little you always said that you wanted to do what I did-"

"I'd love to be a wheat farmer," Emi beamed at her father. "It's better than fighting all the time."

Nord beamed back at his daughter, looking quite touched. It seemed that Emi had remembered her passion for her old home, even after all those years away from it.

"I think you should have Urushihara help you rebuild," Lailah said pointedly, looking at Urushihara from over a can of Mountain Dew.

The Demon General spluttered for a moment, but everyone was already nodding in agreement.

"Hang on- I'm no good with tools! I'm a Demon General, dammit! You can't all just decide that I have to fix this guy's house! Where will it end?! I'll have to rebuild three quarters of the Western Continent!"

"A small price to pay for your heinous crimes," Suzuno said quietly.

"Tch. I was only following orders. You want to point fingers, look no further than the Demon King."

But Maou wasn't having it. He shook his head and smirked.

"No way, man. I didn't tell you to kill! I said subjugate. That means we need people alive to rule over!"

"So now I'm suddenly to blame for you deciding to attack Ente Isla?!" Urushihara asked loudly. His words carried through the dark and echoed against the mountainside. Everyone froze. Urushihara was on his feet, fists clenched, eyes ablaze with fury.

"No, I admit to leading the assault, but _you_ were the one who sacked the Saint Aires Empire!"

"Then _you_ should take responsibility and clean up _your_ mess," Urushihara shouted.

Maou was on his feet now, too, and his eyes were like staring into hell, as the fire was still reflected within them. The camp fire roared higher as the two demons glared at each other.

"What do you think I've been trying to do?!"

"Further your pointless career at some dead-end fast food joint!"

"I did it to survive!"

"You could've just used your magic! There were countless times you could've simply walked into a bank and asked for all the cash! You could've mugged people-"

"I'm not resorting to violence! I'm not the Demon King I used to be!"

"That sort of sentimentality will get you and everyone else here killed!"

"ENOUGH!" Ashiya called out, stepping between the fallen angel and the Demon King. "We are all tired, and blame lies across all of our shoulders-"

"I wasn't the one conquering Ente Isla," Emi said icily.

Ashiya scowled down at the Hero. "I never said _you_ were. We of the Demon Army all played a part in the attack. Spending so much time in Japan has given us a new perspective, however, us demons have fought and killed each other on principle for millennia before we came to Ente Isla. We are not so quick to think as we are to strike down our enemies. Naturally, such abrupt changes are causing some tension."

"There's no tension here," Maou said angrily, "is there, Urushihara?"

"Not anymore there isn't," the fallen angel snarled, stomping off in the direction of the mountain.

Lailah looked after him worriedly. "Is… is Morningstar leaving us?"

"No," Ashiya sighed, "he is going for a walk to cool his nerves. It would seem we have pushed him too far."

"Whatever," Maou scoffed, whirling around and stalking away in the opposite direction, drawing the hood of his cloak over his head as he grumbled to himself.

Ashiya looked back and forth between them before his shoulders drooped. He silently cleared away the angry demons' eating utensils and uneaten food before walking off after Maou. Suzuno cleared her plate and dabbed at her face with a napkin before standing from the fire.

"I am the one who upset Urushihara," she said, looking at the shadows Lucifer had vanished into, "I shall go appeal to him."

"Um, Suzuno? Are you sure that's a good idea?" Chiho wondered.

She had every cause to ask, of course. Chiho knew all too well how depraved and terrifying Urushihara could be, having been a victim of his in the past. The inquisitor nodded.

"He is just upset. Being singled out like he was just now irks him to no end… I'll remind him that we are all in this together."

"Tell him that I'm sorry for making him angry, too," Lailah said quietly. "I did not mean to, I was simply joking around. No one expects him to fix the damage he caused."

Lailah's final sentence probably would've just made Urushihara even angrier, but Crestia Bell bowed to Lailah before padding off after him, the sound of her heavy leather boots on the ground quite different from her usual sandals.

Rika turned her head from side to side and asked, "Do you think they'll be alright? I mean, they're friends, aren't they?"

"Hmm. They've always had a close relationship, from what I've seen. I suppose stress is just causing them both to act out. I bet they'll be fine by tomorrow morning," Chiho said, though she didn't sound entirely convinced.

Emi stood carefully, as Alas-Ramus was cradled in her arms. Somehow, the child was still asleep, even amid all the shouting and arguing. Apparently, it was fine for Maou to argue with other people, just not Emi.

"I'm going to talk to Maou," Emi declared. "He almost lost control of his power for a moment. One little slip up on his part will bring Heaven down on us."

And Emi tromped off across the muddy fields after Maou and Ashiya, leaving Chiho and Rika with Nord, Lailah, and Acies-Ara.

"So… what prompted you two young ladies to join us on our… quest?" Nord asked politely.

As kind as Nord was, Rika still found it awkward to speak with him, given that he was Emi's father. Chiho smiled at Nord, grateful that he was trying to get acquainted with them. Lailah, on the other hand, elbowed her husband in the ribs and muttered, "Don't pry, darling. I'm sure their reasons are their own."

"I don't mind sharing," Chiho piped up, "you see, I've known Maou for over two years now. He is my trainer at work… he taught me a lot, and he… well, he wasn't like the other boys I knew. He was smarter, for one thing, and he had goals that always kept him going… he wasn't necessarily handsome or anything like that, but he was so dedicated to the job… he was so charismatic and kind, and his eyes and demeanor seemed so mature… There was just something about him that made me think 'wow, this is a guy I can get behind', you know? Anyway, we became friends, I learned about who he was and… well, I could only think of him as my senior team member from MgRonalds."

"I suppose you were put in harm's way the moment you learned who he was," Lailah guessed, "and from then on he protected you."

"Yeah," Chiho blushed, hoping the red light of the crackling fire kept everyone from seeing the heat in her face.

"So in a sense, you're here because you feel like you owe Maou for protecting you?" Rika asked.

"Wha- No! Not at all! I-I'm here because… because…"

Chiho could barely stand to think back to the time before she met Maou and the other Ente Islans. The world was a bore. She had been a top student, a remarkable student athlete, and still, she had no friends. Her school life, coupled with her work load and home life, usually left her so drained she never got the chance to make any real friends. There were classmates, sure, but that was a bond of familiarity from having known each other for so long.

Chiho remembered sadness and despair. She remembered birthday parties where only her family showed up. It was nice to see her cousins, and they were all so much fun to play with… but even they couldn't help but notice Chiho had no other friends.

"I'm here because my friends needed me," Chiho said firmly, "and I didn't want to be the kind of person that disappoints my friends."

Lailah's unsettling violet gaze seemed to pierce Chi like an x-ray. It felt, for the briefest of moments, as though the fallen angel could see all of her negative emotions and insecurities. She blinked, and the feeling vanished, leaving Lailah with a small smile.

"You have a good heart, Chiho Sasaki," Lailah murmured, tilting her head. "I can see why the Demon King is so fond of you."

"F-f-f-f-fond?! O-of m-m-me?" Chiho's face went entirely red, and she keeled over, falling backwards over the log she was perched upon. Rika turned to look at where she lay on the ground, shivering.

"You ok, sweetie?"

"F-fine," Chiho stammered.

* * *

Urushihara grumbled to himself as he stumbled through the woods that ran the perimeter of the mountain. Now that he was in Ente Isla, his powers were right back where they had been when he was a Demon General. The only thing that hadn't gone back to normal was the fear and respect he commanded.

No, to everyone whom had been trapped with him in Japan, he was just a NEET, a useless sack of crap. Apparently, he was only good for taking the blame, and for being the butt of all the jokes. Seriously, what _was_ it with those assholes? Even Suzuno…

"Tch," Urushihara scoffed, coming to a stop by a tall, coniferous tree. The woods around him smelled of cool refreshing pine needles, but they couldn't quell the anger that boiled in his chest as he thought about the Inquisitor.

She was supposed to be his… well, they were more than friends, he knew that much. So why was she so eager to point out his flaws? Sure, he'd done things wrong, they all had, but she was hardly one to talk. How many people had she killed in the Church's name? How many lives had any of them taken? Alciel used to annihilate entire villages at a time, earning him the title of Scourge, so why was Lucifer the only one who should have to rebuild?

Urushihara laid a hand on the trunk of the pine tree. He imagined his anger flowing out of him and into the tree, ebbing away like sand in an hourglass. It did no good, though, for as fast as he could get rid of his anger, another reason to be livid popped into his head. He closed his eyes and snarled at nothing, pouring as much of his anger and hatred into the tree as possible.

'I'm not angry,' he thought desperately, 'I'm not… I love Suzuno… those guys are my friends…I'M NOT ANGRY!'

Finally, his frustration hit a peak. It seemed he was nothing but a bottomless abyss of anger and hurt. He took a wider stance and focused his magic inward. He pushed so hard against the trunk of the tree that it snapped and flew through the air like a javelin. It soared out of sight, and he heard a great myriad of snaps, cracks, and crunches as it smashed against the mountainside. Urushihara huffed in exasperation, running a hand through his hair as he stared into the darkness surrounding him. His anger was gone. All he felt was remorse. Why couldn't he vent normally? Why did he never get any sort of closure until something was broken and defeated before him, and he was left with guilt gnawing at his insides?

"Morningstar," asked a timid voice.

"It's you," Urushihara said, not bothering to turn and face Suzuno.

"I came alone," Suzuno offered. "I thought that you might want some choice company…"

"Not really. I'd much rather be alone, right now. Thanks anyway."

"Yes, because being alone is clearly what's best for you at the moment," Suzuno mumbled, her words thick with implied sarcasm.

Urushihara rolled his eyes before he turned to survey Suzuno. Unlike her usual choice of dress, which was a traditional Japanese kimono, she now wore a set of dark clothes, padded and braced with leather armor. It was probably the same uniform she wore when killing in the name of the Church, but the leather was dark and supple, as though it had been well made and meticulously cared for.

"You look good," Urushihara said. He cast his eye up and down the form-fitting leather armor, causing Suzuno to blush and pull her cloak more tightly about her.

"Don't change the subject… we're talking about you."

"There's nothing to discuss," Urushihara muttered, turning away from the Bailiff of the Inquisition.

"Oh? So I suppose you just enjoy throwing trees for the fun of it? It must be something you do quite often, seeing as you're so good at it," Suzuno needled.

"You know why I'm angry," Urushihara said quietly.

"I know why, yes," Suzuno walked up to Urushihara and gripping his hand, forcing him to turn and face her, "what I can't fathom is why you let it bother you so?"

"I guess after two years of being called worthless, you start to get a little annoyed," Lucifer blurted out.

He hadn't meant to speak so loudly. He wasn't trying to yell at Suzuno, he was trying to explain himself, to make her understand… but it only served to form tears in her aquamarine eyes.

"I know. You've told me all of this… you are not worthless."

"You're right," Urushihara said bitterly, " I'm an excellent pincushion for blame!"

"You have made mistakes. There isn't a single person around that campfire who hasn't," Suzuno muttered.

"Then why did you have to bring up mine?" Urushihara wondered, his voice barely more than a whisper.

"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings-"

"My feelings aren't the issue… you of all people… you were supposed to… why? Why would you throw everything I've done back in my face?!"

Urushihara gripped Suzuno by the shoulders, looking delirious. Suzuno frowned at Urushihara, but his eyes were so filled with pain and rage, it was hard to meet his gaze.

"Because I care. I know what it's like to carry around your sins… you'll have to learn how to deal with that. Even now, you seek to make amends. You're with us on this mission because of your selflessness and empathy. You are not worthless. In the end, people like you are the ones who truly make a difference… even if it's hard to believe in yourself, sometimes."

"I'm not a good person-"

"You are, whether you know it or not. You've done wicked deeds. Your name is synonymous with evil… but there is good in you. I've seen it. I know the things you've done… and I still care for you. When the time comes, and you have to choose between fighting for what's right or sitting things out, you are always on the frontline. I think you'd be surprised at how much good you are capable of."

Urushihara's hands fell from her shoulders, but Suzuno stepped up to him and laid a hand on his face. It was warm, and so soft and forgiving, Urushihara could practically feel every negative emotion being sucked out of him, leaving him with the strange desire to fall on his knees and worship this woman, this normal human female.

"The others might make jokes. They might not treat you like you matter, but you are the Morningstar. You are the Lightbringer. Show them your name is worth something. Make them believe in you, just as I do. Show them that you will work hard to do what's right… and they will show you the respect you deserve," Suzuno whispered in Lucifer's ear.

She stood on her tiptoes to gently kiss him. After a moment, she stepped back, wiped her tears from her face, and walked back towards the campfire, leaving Urushihara to stare after her. His mind felt curiously blank and clear. The cheek Suzuno had tenderly held felt hot, as though she were still holding it. Urushihara felt his knees give way, and he fell back against the base of the tree he'd destroyed. Somehow, his ire, his self-doubt, and his frustrations had all been swept away, with little more than a soft touch and a few words… to think that such a person existed who held such sway over him was unimaginable. He used to command Heaven's army, but he'd never felt such power as Suzuno seemed to have over him.

"Thank you," Urushihara muttered, "for believing in me… Suzuno."

* * *

As Maou walked, he found that it was hard for him to walk angrily, or even with a purpose in his step. As soon as he tried, he ended up slipping in the muddy field and landing on his butt. By the time he heard Ashiya calling after him, he was covered in travel stains and mud smears, and he looked like he'd lost a battle with a marsh mud man.

"M'lord, you must forgive Urushihara for his rudeness," Ashiya said quickly, "perhaps if I'd been a bit harsher with him in Japan, he might've built a bit more character."

"You're not to blame, Alciel."

"Y-your majesty, are you alright?"

"Eh?"

"You're covered in muck, sire."

Maou tried to smile, but it seemed a little lackluster. "Oh, yeah. Fell down a couple times… how did you manage to stay upright while chasing me down?"

"I used the same principles as we used in Japan while walking on icy surfaces. Keep your feet flat, and take small, shuffling steps, like those arctic tuxedo birds," Ashiya said.

"You mean penguins?"

"Ah, yes, precisely! Just like those remarkable penguins! You sure are well versed in Earth's ways, your majesty," Ashiya sycophantically.

"Are you trying to flatter me to make me feel better," Maou grumbled.

"That depends on whether or not it's working, sire," Ashiya smirked.

"A little."

"Excellent. Rest assured, I'll deal with Urushihara's insubordination personally-"

"No… no, just let him do whatever he wants… personally, I'm amazed he came with us. He's never really been the selfless type, you know?"

"Yes, his involvement does seem a tad suspect," Ashiya noted, scratching his chin thoughtfully, "could he perhaps be a spy?"

Maou, who knew the real reason Urushihara had joined them, was amazed at how quickly Ashiya had come to that conclusion. Still, if he hadn't caught Urushihara and Suzuno red handed, he might've thought the same thing.

"Oh- uh, no, he's definitely not a traitor," Maou said quickly. "I think he's just turning over a new leaf. Change can be frustrating, especially when people keep bringing up the past."

Maou waited for Ashiya to speak, hoping against hope that his lame excuses made some sort of sense.

"I suppose you make a good point," Ashiya muttered doubtfully.

Maou breathed a quiet sigh of relief, only to hear a series of uneven squelches from behind him. He and Ashiya turned to find Emi marching toward them, looking as though she'd had quite enough of the mud.

"Of all the times to plan an invasion," she muttered to herself. "Why couldn't we have done it in the summer?"

She came to a stop before the demons, noting how their eyes were brimming with raw power. Maou stared intently at Emi's chest, a small smile on his face. She was about to tell him off when he spoke.

"She's so cute," he crooned.

Emi then realized that he wasn't looking at her body, he was looking at Alas-Ramus, who was still snoring in her arms. She hiccupped and mumbled in her slumber, and all three of them, demons and Hero, tilted their head and smiled.

"Awwww," they said in unison.

Emi realized that she was showing weakness and quickly readjusted her expression into one of anger. It was hard to keep up, given the bundle of cuteness in her arms, but she said, "Demon King, you do realize that you almost used your magic, don't you? You put all of us in danger by becoming so angry."

"Why do you think I walked away?" Maou asked, rolling his eyes.

"Well… just- be more careful. If you get us into more trouble, I'll be sure to take care of you after I dispatch our enemies."

"Mama…"

Emi's eyes widened, and she looked down at Alas-Ramus… who was still sleeping.

"A-Alas? Alas-Ramus, are you awake?"

"Papa…"

"She's dreaming," Ashiya whispered.

"No fighting," the girl mumbled.

Emi blushed, as did Maou. They locked eyes for a brief moment before staring guiltily at the ground. It seemed that, even while asleep, the toddler had the preternatural ability to know when they were arguing.

"I'm going back to the campfire," Emi said wearily.

As she spun around, her momentum carried her a bit too far. The mud beneath her boots was slick, and Emi's feet were suddenly in the air. Alas-Ramus was thrown from her arms. Emi's face was twisted in fear as Alas-Ramus was thrown upward. There was no way Emi could catch her, she was still falling.

Emi hit the ground with a disgusting splat. She opened her eyes to find a shadow gliding over her. As silent as the night, the Demon King had kicked off from the muddy ground, gently catching Alas-Ramus in his arms. He hit the ground and took a knee, sliding several feet in the grime before coming to a stop.

The girl yawned in his arms before mumbling to herself.

Emi pushed herself to her feet and rushed over to Maou as fast as she could without falling again. Aside from a single speck of mud on the toddler's cheek, she was unharmed.

"I'll take Alas-Ramus," Maou decided, pulling away as Emi held out her arms for the child. "I have a steadier gait."

"You fell down, too," Emi pointed out.

"Channel your inner tuxedo bird, m'lord," Ashiya hissed as he waddled past Emi and Maou, making his way to the campfire. The sound of a tree crashing down in the forest by the mountain was heard. Ashiya's penguin waddle was interrupted, and he slipped and fell in shock.

"Wha-what was that?" Emi asked

"Urushihara," Maou sighed. There was nothing else nearby strong enough to knock down a tree. Maou only hoped that it helped his vent his anger, because he didn't want to have to deal with the fallen angel's attitude.

"If he keeps that up, someone might hear!"

Emi and Maou waited. Ashiya stood, muttering darkly to himself as he tried to scrape as much of the mud from his pants as possible. Nothing else happened. Apparently, he had soothed his anger, to some extent.

"This is gonna be a long camping trip," Maou muttered to himself. He followed Ashiya's example, and waddled back towards the camp, though he managed not to fall in the process. Emi waddled behind him, utterly humiliated at her failure, and her having to walk like a penguin.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Ladies and gentlemen, demons, angels, and whoever else reads this fanfiction, I am proud to present the War Arc, the very last part of this story. I'll have you know the story is written, and edited (though I'm sure it's still riddled with mistakes here and there). Moving forward, I must warn you that this fic WILL CONTAIN SEXUAL THEMES! You've been warned. Anyway, for those interested, the story is now almost seven hundred pages, and is just over three hundred thousand words, according to the word document. In any case, here's to you, my fellow fans of DIAPT, and to the end of an era. I can't believe it's almost over.**

 **And sorry for the traveling scenes. It's kinda hard to make walking exciting, but I tried. It if helps, play that Lord of the Rings song that they play during panoramic shots. It just might do the trick.**

 **I suppose that definitely falls under the recommended music section, but if you're feeling up to it, definitely scout the newest Breaking Benjamin album. It's-a pretty gooood.**


	36. The Devil and the Hero: Alone

The next day brought a series of fresh challenges for everyone. Nord and Lailah were both quite worn out, and did not want to rise early for their trek up the mountainside. Maou and Urushihara, while civil, seemed oddly stiff and formal while talking to each other. Alas-Ramus and Acies-Ara were bickering loudly about which of them had better parents, and Rika and Chiho, sadly, were unable to walk in their boots.

It turned out that their boots hadn't been broken in before they dove through the gate, and after walking all day yesterday, their feet were raw, red, and blistered. Every step they took caused them to wince in pain, and hiking up the mountain would be impossible for them.

"I will carry Rika," Ashiya offered quickly.

"Um, are you sure? I mean, you don't have to carry me," Rika said.

"Nonsense. With my strength returned to me, carrying you will be no problem at all," Ashiya bragged. He raised his arms and flexed like a bodybuilder, but it was no use. His human form was just not as impressive as his demon form, which bulged with muscle mass and was far too perfectly sculpted to be considered human.

"I suppose I can carry Chiho," Urushihara sighed.

"What? Uh… really?" the high school girl asked.

"Well, duh. I mean, no one else here can carry you as easily as I can, and Maou has to carry Alas-Ramus, so…"

Suzuno blanched. Somehow, the thought of Chiho riding piggyback on Urushihara, with their bodies pressed so firmly against each other, made her incredibly jealous. She glared at Chiho, who smiled lamely, looking quite unhappy with the thought of being carried by Urushihara.

"Are you sure you want to carry Chiho," Maou asked. "I mean, you can carry Alas-Ramus if you want."

"No, it's fine. Really." Urushihara tried to smile but it looked a little unnatural. In any case, he was determined to show the others he was useful. He would do what was right, and spare Chiho the pain of having to walk.

'Score one for the Lightbringer,' Urushihara thought savagely, taking a sense of pride in his chivalry. He looked to Suzuno for support, but she crossed her arms and turned up her nose at him.

'What the hell?!' he thought, stunned by her rudeness. 'She's the one who told me to do the right thing!'

Once camp had been cleared away, everyone hoisted on their packs and prepared for the journey up the mountain. Emi took point once again, and led the way off to the right, where Urushihara and Suzuno had kissed the night before. A small trail wound up the side of the mountain, but much to the dismay of the entire group-

"You idiot," Emi said, "you threw a tree right on the path!"

Urushihara, who was already weighed down by Chiho and her pack, seemed to grow even shorter where he stood.

"My bad, guys," he muttered quietly.

He stepped forward and bent, as though peering at the tree. Chiho tried to look at what he was doing when he suddenly stood straight up, lifting the tree as though it were nothing, and sending it tumbling down the mountain.

"Geez, Mister Urushihara," Chiho muttered, shaking from the surprise of almost being thrown off of his back, "you're so strong!"

Suzuno growled in her throat, but no one seemed to notice as she gave Urushihara the death stare. He blushed from Chiho's praise before going back to the group, where Emi nodded appreciatively and took the lead once more.

The path seemed to wind around the mountain like a corkscrew. Emi had thought it would only take about an hour, but in reality, it took almost three. She decided the discrepancy was likely just a side effect of being young and carefree during her previous visits. After all, time always went faster for children. When Chiho laid her head against Urushihara's back, Suzuno felt her jealousy pang once more, but she said nothing. That was when she remembered the halo in her bag, which would allow her to speak directly into Urushihara's mind with her own.

'Do you enjoy having another woman's legs wrapped around you?' she hissed mentally.

Urushihara missed a step, causing Chiho, who had been slumbering, to jolt awake.

"Are you ok?" she asked, rubbing her tired eyes.

"Zoning out," Urushihara mumbled, turning to find Suzuno smirking. "Tripped on a rock."

"Please don't drop me," Chi mumbled under her breath.

The sun felt quite warm, though a chill wind did make it hard to maintain any body heat. Soon they had reached a forested outcropping, which quickly fell away at an abrupt edge. Nestled in these woods, next to a bubbling stream that ran down from on high, was a little cabin.

"It's still standing," Emi muttered in disbelief.

"I shielded it from attack when Nord and Acies-Ara hid here," said Lailah. "It seems I inadvertently shielded it from the elements, as well."

"This also means that it hasn't been tampered with," Nord smiled. "It's still secret, just as I thought."

The interior of the cabin was dusty, but it was still whole and unharmed. It was large, for a cabin, with a couple small rooms and a large main room. Though it was somewhat rustic, it was very livable and cozy. There was a dinner table with chairs, a long wooden bench in front of the fire place, and the walls were lined with fishing trophies.

Even with the size, there wasn't enough room for everyone, so they all set up their tents outside, and made a campfire in the old fire pit out back. An hour later, the sun had disappeared behind the mountain, leaving everyone feeling rather tired, given how early in the day it was.

"Good work starting the fire," Ashiya said curtly to Urushihara, who nodded absently.

He was having a heated mental debate with Suzuno, who, as it turned out, was the jealous type. Doing the right thing apparently did not extend to giving Chiho piggy back rides up the mountain, even though the high schooler was still hobbling around rather pitifully, trying to help get camp situated.

Maou and Emi were both feeding Alas-Ramus, who seemed quite at home in the wilderness. Her large violet eyes darted this way and that as she tried to take in her surroundings as she chewed her food.

"So, are you two going to go off and train?" Lailah asked Emi and Maou.

They looked at each other. Their eyes were rung in dark circles. Their clothes were travel-stained and worn. They both needed a bath, and Alas-Ramus was in a rambunctious mood.

"We'll start training tomorrow," they agreed.

Nord and Lailah retired to the cabin shortly thereafter, taking Acies-Ara with them. Ashiya and Rika left to go fishing, with Ashiya looking quite excited to break out the new tackle. Chiho went to her tent to rest, taking Alas-Ramus with her. Urushihara went for a walk, muttering something about looking for more wood for the campfire. Finally, Maou went to his tent, which he had carried off down the path that led to the base of the mountain. He'd positioned it well, so that he could poke his head out and keep an eye on the path. No one would be able to sneak up on them unless they were to come down from the sky, which he sincerely hoped wouldn't happen.

Emi watched Maou's retreating back, wondering how he could seem so nonchalant. A part of her was seized with the urge to race up to him and tackle the Lord of Demons to the ground. She wanted to pin him down and demand an explanation. She wanted to hear his reasoning for killing those Templars… but instead she simply shivered before turning back to stare at the fire.

"You look preoccupied, Emilia," Suzuno noted. "Would you care to talk?"

"How do you think he does it?" Emi asked. "How do you think he can kill people… and just act like nothing happened?"

Suzuno gave it some thought, but the answer Emi sought eluded her.

"He is the Demon King," Suzuno sighed, "perhaps guilt and sorrow are solely the burdens of humanity."

But even as Suzuno spoke, she knew her words were untrue. She'd seen guilt and sorrow etched into the face of a demon only the night before… perhaps the Demon King well and truly didn't care.

"Maybe you're right," Emi said quietly.

The Hero bid Crestia Bell farewell before getting up and walking off to the cabin, where she hoped to lay out a sleeping bag on the bench by the fire and get some rest. As Suzuno sat alone at the campfire, she felt herself quake in anticipation. She'd been waiting for everyone to leave so she could go after Urushihara. After checking that no one else was in sight, she pulled the halo from her bag and slipped it under her thick leather jerkin before heading off after the fallen angel, who she located easily enough using their mental connection.

Try as the Hero might, sleep did not come to her easily. She was woken, again and again, by nightmares of battles past. In each one her enemies were cut down, until she came to a nine foot tall demon with horns and goat legs. No matter how she might want to, she could never finish him off, as Alas-Ramus would appear and scold her.

After the most recent nightmare, when she'd slaughtered an entire unit of demonic Templars with Olba's face, she decided that sleep was overrated. She dug out her winter coat and put it on, along with her boots and her long black cloak. She crept out of the cabin, where night had not yet completely fallen. She paused for a moment, wondering how she should spend her extra waking hours when the familiar gurgle of the stream called to her. Emi smiled, and with slow, teetering steps, she began to follow the water.

A pathway ran along the winding stream, leading down a steep hillside before levelling out once more. The riverbed widened and formed a large pond of cool, clear water. Emi smiled to herself, kicking up mud as she remembered how she used to walk the path with her father. He would carry their poles and fishing gear, and he would even bait Emi's hook for her, as the worms made her squeamish. She turned, following the path that led to the pond when she heard a loud giggle. She knew that it was Rika, but why did she sound so… jovial?

Emi crept forward, walking on the balls of her feet as she left the path and dodged between the trees. Another giggle rose from the pond. Farther downstream, where the level mountain fell away, the dull roar of a waterfall was heard. The Hero, who was creeping around in a most un-Hero like fashion, peered through the underbrush, only to blush violently and cock her head, as though she couldn't quite understand what she was seeing.

Laid out just off the edge of the trail was a blanket, where Ashiya and Rika were supposed to be fishing, though what they were actually doing could hardly be called such. Rika was sitting in Ashiya's lap, laughing and smiling as he placed kisses on her neck. Every now and again he would gently bite her shoulder, causing her to gasp and laugh. They were both fully clothed, but the sensuality was not lost on Emi.

"Rika…"

Ashiya's voice was hard, as though broaching a sensitive topic. Emi perked her ears up and listened even more closely.

"Yes, Ashiya?"

"When we leave for Heaven, I'd like you to stay here at camp."

"We've been over this," Rika said, pulling herself from his lap to turn and face him, "I'm going with you."

"But what if we do not succeed," Ashiya asked, twirling a lock of Rika's hair around his finger.

"Don't talk like that," she uttered, straddling Ashiya's hips and pulling his head to her chest.

"Mmph."

"Whoops, sorry. I keep forgetting that I can actually smother you with my chest," Rika laughed.

Ashiya smirked, running his hands over Rika's body, which, now that Emi had a good view of it, had gotten much more voluptuous.

"I must admit, I did not think you could get any more beautiful," Ashiya muttered, "but I stand corrected."

Rika smiled and pulled herself off of Ashiya again. She sat beside him and laid her head on his shoulder, their hands overlapping. Emi was glad they finally stopped being so lewd, but she couldn't sneak away now that they were being quiet.

"Have you thought of any names," Rika asked.

"No. I'm reserving judgement until I see what the future holds."

"Aww, come on! Why do you have to be such a pessimist all the time! This is your child, too, you know! Try to be more thoughtful!"

"I didn't mean it like that," Ashiya said quickly, "I mean… well, what if we decide to raise it in Japan? It will need a Japanese name to avoid suspicion. Or what if we raise it here? Then it will need an Ente Islan name… and we still don't know if it will be a boy or a girl."

Emi gasped and had to cover her mouth with her hand. The couple didn't notice, so she took the opportunity to leave before she could listen in on their conversation anymore. When she got to the turn in the path, she took off running, tears streaming down her face as she processed what she'd just heard. Rika Suzuki was pregnant with Demon General Alciel's child! Emi ran as fast as she could, feeling with her mind for Suzuno, who might be able to help her come to terms with what she had overheard. The inquisitor was wise, but had she ever seen a demon-human hybrid? Would she know how to deal with the situation? At the very least, she would be able to calm Emi down. She whipped past the cabin at high speed and raced into the trees that decorated that side of the mountain.

Emi's horror was quickly redoubled, however, as she heard an odd noise that no forest animal could make. She came to a stop, and she heard it again- the sounds of suckling, and the smack of someone's lips. This time Emi was fortunate, as she very nearly ran right into a clearing. There, in the center, Suzuno stood with Urushihara, both of them locked in a fierce nonverbal battle. Their lips met with ferocity and force. They pulled apart only to gasp and rest their jaws before reconnecting once more.

The Hero turned as white as a ghost.

Suzuno, the Bailiff of the Inquisition, was kissing Urushihara as though he were the air, and she had just surfaced from underwater. It was passionate, intimate, and so disturbingly carnal that Emi felt unclean just watching. The Inquisitor broke away from the fallen angel long enough to push him to the ground and pounce upon him. He yelped, but his pain was quickly relieved by Crestia Bell's tender kiss.

Emi turned away and fled the scene, but now she felt directionless. She had nowhere to go. Her world had just been turned on its head. How could she have been so stupid? She replayed everything up until that point, reevaluating every interaction between Ashiya and Rika, and Suzuno and Urushihara. Something else came to mind, as well. The Demon King had known all along about Rika and Ashiya. Was it possible he'd known about the inquisitor and the fallen angel, as well? Fuming, irate, and teary-eyed, Emi turned her fleeting footsteps to the path that led down the mountainside, where the Demon King kept his vigil.

Maou smirked to himself. He had picked the perfect place to keep watch, and his tent was pitched in such a way that it would be nigh invisible from above. With a wicked grin, he looked from side to side and pulled something from within his pack that no one, not even Ashiya, knew anything about.

It was a pair of very expensive binoculars. They were digital, with night vision and adjustable zoom. Maou had been dying to test them out from the moment he'd snuck them into the cart at the camping supply store. He powered them up and turned them on, grinning ear to ear as he traced the pathway leading up the mountain. All was clear, but that didn't stop him from enjoying the experience. He had paid almost forty thousand yen for the binoculars, effectively maxing out his credit card for the first time since he'd bought the laptop. A set of heavy, clunking footsteps were fast approaching. Maou zoomed out quickly, but he still saw no one approaching his tent. He realized, all too late, that they were coming from behind him.

Maou stood up and turned, still holding the binoculars to his face. His vision was suddenly filled with an eerie emerald image of the Hero's face, with blinding white eyes and a terrifying scowl. Maou fell backward with a howl, tumbling down the mountain path before coming to a stop, flopped on his belly. Next to him, his binoculars seemed unharmed. Emi stood up by his tent, glowering down at him. Her eyes were filled with tears, and her hands were on her hips. Even without night vision, she still looked like hell.

"Demon King," she called, "we need to talk."

At first, Maou had been worried that the Hero was angry about his night vision binoculars. The reality, as it turned out, was much, much worse.

"So, you found out, huh?" Maou asked.

She seemed to be taking things pretty well, considering what she'd just discovered. Both of her friends were romantically involved with demons. One of them was expecting. It wasn't every day you got news like that.

Maou and Emi were sitting together in Maou's tent as the wind on the mountain was bitter cold now that the sun had set. Maou had a fancy kerosene lantern burning for heat. The enclosed space seemed rather intimate for Emi's taste, but she simply figured it was because she'd been so disturbed by what she'd seen.

"So you _did_ know," she hissed, leaning forward to stare Maou in the face.

"Well, duh. It's not that hard to figure out. I told you Ashiya and Rika were together, and she seemed pretty well versed on her baby facts." Maou reasoned.

"And Suzuno and Urushihara?"

"Admittedly, I didn't know about that one until recently," said Maou, scratching the back of his head. He looked more like a child who had forgotten to study for a test rather than a person who was guarding a secret.

"And?" Emi asked reproachfully.

"And what?"

"You didn't bother telling me?!"

"What they do isn't any of your business, Emi," Maou reminded her.

"I'm the Hero."

"It doesn't matter," he shrugged. "Do you really think they care? It hasn't stopped them thus far, has it?"

"Demon and humans can't just-"

"Apparently they can," Maou rubbed his chin, "though truth be told, that still messes me up a little bit… I mean, I know basic biology, but you'd think there would be complications, given our true nature…"

"You don't care that your Demon Generals are involved with humans, then?" Emi posed.

Maou shook his head. "They're all adults, Emi. You can't force them to do anything."

"I can kill them," Emi threatened, trying desperately to get a rise out of the Devil.

"And risk our mission? Somehow, I don't think you'd do that… why is this so important to you, anyway? They're happy, right?"

Emi didn't answer. She folded her arms and pouted, staring at the light of the lantern, which burned exceptionally bright and warm. Maou leaned forward, trying to catch her eye as realization took him for a ride.

"That's your problem," Maou said quietly. "They're happy, but you're not. That's the real reason you're so upset."

"Stop reading my thoughts, Demon King!"

Maou grinned. "I didn't have to. You just told me how you felt."

Emi growled. Before Maou could gloat about his masterful scheme to reveal the Hero's feelings, she had lunged and pushed him to the ground. Something within her seemed to have burst due to his callous disinterest. First he'd killed the Templars and he didn't care… now his subordinates were fraternizing with Emi's best friends?! She put a hand to Maou's throat, but he made no move to stop her. He just stared into her teary green eyes, looking as though he knew something she didn't.

"How do you do it," Emi asked through gritted teeth, "how can you be so apathetic?"

"What are you talking about," Maou asked, sounding as though he could breathe quite easily, even though Emi had his throat in an iron grip.

She gripped his throat tighter, putting as much pressure as she dared on his windpipe, but apparently the Devil's body was not quite as fragile in Ente Isla as it was in Japan, for he kept smiling.

"The Templars… Sir Henric… how do you kill people and feel no remorse? How do you watch the whole world pass you by without a care?! Tell me, how do you kill and not feel a single god damned thing? Is there some kind of trick to it? Tell me!"

The smile melted from Maou's face. Emi drew back a hand and made to strike him, but he caught her wrist and held it fast. No matter how hard she pushed or pulled, she couldn't break free of the Demon King's grasp. Her eyes widened in shock. It was as though her nightmares were coming to life.

"Maybe I do feel remorse," Maou said under his breath, his face inches from the Hero's. "Maybe you're just so eager to make me out as the villain that I let you blame me. Maybe I'm used to being the scapegoat. Maybe, just maybe, you don't want a Devil that feels or thinks… you want a monster to blame for your problems, so I'm giving you one."

Maou released Emi's hand and it fell, unused, to her side. He looked pained, and she could see anger in his eyes. Somehow, through some miracle or another, Emi had broken through Maou's external shield, revealing the vulnerable Demon King beneath.

"That sounds like self-enabling philosophical bullshit to me," muttered Emi, her voice shaky.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night. I don't really care what you think," Maou growled, turning away from the Hero, who was still pinning him down. After a moment, it dawned on Emi that the Devil has likely let her tackle him, given his returned fortitude. If he'd really wanted too, he could've simply thrown her off… but he let her be, for whatever reason.

"Maou-"

"Demon King. I'm the Demon King."

"Maou."

He remained silent. He covered his eyes with the crook of his arm, but he couldn't hide the shudders raking his body, nor could he completely staunch his tears. There was so much he had wanted to tell the Hero. Now, however, it seemed his plans had been dashed. He felt something thump his chest, and he looked down to find Emi had buried her face into it. She sobbed noiselessly as Maou did his utmost to ignore her, but he couldn't do it. He cared for the Hero far too much.

He reached up and around, gently holding her as she cried even harder.

Emi was so alone, so helplessly alone. The Demon King seemed to understand her pain, and yet he was her arch nemesis. Why was he so insistent upon furthering himself from her? Why were they wrapped as intimately as lovers? And why was Sadao Maou shedding tears?

In a strange way, Emi found she loved Maou, and all his idiosyncrasies. But that didn't change the fact that she was alone… or was she?

"Maou," she breathed into the Demon King's ear.

This time, he responded.

"Yeah?"

"I don't want to die alone," Emi whispered sadly. She found Maou looking up at her, his eyes filled with fruitless emotion. Their bodies were tingling, and their faces were closer than ever. The Hero found her head was so heavy, it needed a rest… and the Devil's lips were slightly parted… if she leaned forward just a bit…

Emi fell upon the Demon King, and her lips pressed against Maou's. Time stopped, and their hearts seemed to skip beats as they thudded out of their chests, like lions fighting to get free of their cages. How had it come to this? One moment, Maou was sure the Hero would try to kill him, and the next they were… they were….

Emi began to kiss him furiously, as though taking out her aggression on the Devil. He felt friction on his navel as the Hero rubbed herself against him. She broke away and sat up, peeling off her shirt and revealing her bra. Maou had seen her body before, of course, but now, as she straddled him and blushed, there was something there that hadn't been before.

"How about this, Demon King? Do you feel anything now?"

Maou didn't have to answer. His body did that for him, reacting to the Hero's subtle seductive inflection. Emi smirked and blushed a little deeper as she felt something rise from beneath her.

"The Demon King rises again," she mused, falling into Maou's embrace once more.

The Devil fumbled with her bra clasp. He'd mastered complex magics, multiple languages, and he could rule a kingdom full of the most terrifying creatures in existence… but it seemed that defeat was inevitable when it came to the Hero's brazier. Just as he lost all hope, he felt the elastic bands grew slack, and the clasp came undone. Emi tugged the bra free and threw it aside. Maou sat up, wrapping his arms around her as she moaned. The Hero was half naked and exposed before the Demon King, but he wanted more- so much more. With shaking hands, he frantically worked the drawstring of Emi's breeches, pulling them off to revealing a pair of plan white underwear. The Hero gasped as Maou rolled, putting himself on top of her. Something ancient and carnal rose in his chest, calling out for him to destroy the Hero… though not in the traditional sense, with blades and magic.

"Are you prepared, Hero?" Maou asked breathlessly as he hunched over her. "I'm about to storm your fortress!"

"Let's see if you have what it takes to breach the citadel, Demon King," Emi murmured seductively, biting her lip.

And so the Devil fell upon his prey.

That night passed in a blaze of heat and passion for the Demon King and the Hero. It was a competition of sorts, and an excellent way for them to vent their fear of what lay ahead. Death seemed to be a certainty, but as Emi and Maou lay together, they found that the future seemed to hold no sway over them. The only things that mattered were each other.

When morning came, Maou found that Emi had gone, but on the pillow where Emi had been sleeping, he found a note.

 _Maou,_

 _I don't know that there's a right way to put this, so I'll just come out and say it. Last night was a mistake. I was feeling helpless, and I guess I just needed a bit of companionship. I have no intention of causing harm to you, Ashiya, or Urushihara (unless you decide to return to your evil ways) but I feel I must make myself excessively clear for you: I have no intention of repeating last night. It was a one-time thing. When faced with the dire consequences of our mission, I had a minor lapse in judgement. That's all this was. I ask that you keep it to yourself and thank you for your discretion._

 _Your wife,_

 _Emi_

Maou's heart sank. Here he was hoping that he and Emi could have some sort of interesting, secretive, taboo romance, but now those hopes were dashed. Maou thought back to last night, where he'd been so happy and so connected with the Hero that it had felt like a dream. Now, for all the gut-wrenching sadness that worked its way through him, it might as well have been. For a moment, he considered lying in bed all day. He thought about abandoning the mission and just lying on that mountain path for the rest of his miserable life, reliving his one glorious night with the Hero over and over until the entire world was dead and cold. Perhaps that might help chip away at the icy leaden knot in his gut.

But he wasn't that lucky. Sooner or later, someone would come looking for him. With a sigh, he dressed himself and put on his boots, stuffing the note from Emi in his pocket. Perhaps he could talk to her about it, seeing as they would be training together in opening a Gate to Heaven later that day.

When he got to the cabin, Maou found everyone already awake, seated around the table. The smell of fresh coffee was heavy, and everyone hung onto their coffee mugs for warmth. Maou's gaze was immediately drawn to Emi, who looked quite tired. She met his gaze for a fraction of a second before staring determinedly at the table. She looked different than before, almost as if what they'd done the previous night had forever changed the way he would see her. In a sense, it had, for the Demon King now realized that he wanted her even more now that he'd had a taste.

"Ah, Demon King, you're just in time," Lailah said, shocking him from his longing reverie.

"For what?" Maou asked.

"Breakfast," Acies said brightly, turning away from the stove with a frying pan in each hand. One was filled with eggs and hash browns. The other was stuffed with sausages. She set the food down on the table before pouring Maou a mug of coffee and thrusting it into his hands.

"You look like you could use some," she smiled.

But Maou couldn't return her kindness. He just glanced at Emi again and nodded. It was hard to explain, but somehow, Emi's note and distant demeanor left Maou feeling worse than he'd thought possible. If what they had done the night before was a mistake, then why had it been the greatest night of his life? Dark and disjointed thoughts clouded Maou's mind, but he took a seat by Emi and Alas-Ramus. Even if being around her was as painful as having his heart ripped from his chest, Maou knew he mustn't make a scene.

"You sleep ok?" Urushihara asked. "You look a little… peaky."

"No, I couldn't sleep," Maou said. "I was keeping watch."

The Devil managed a smile, but it was bitter and false. The only thing he'd watched last night was the Hero's rocking bosom, and the look of pleasure on her face as she'd wrapped her legs around him. He felt the heat of her body, and smelled the scent of her love as he was pulled back into last night.

" _More… harder…uuugh, D-Demon King_!" Emi had cried, her voice faltering as her body had spasms beneath Maou's greedy touch.

" _Emilia_ ," he'd crooned, driving himself as deep into her as he could go.

The way she had felt, the way she'd looked at him, and the innate desire to please her in every way seemed to have imprinted themselves upon Maou, leaving him lost in lustful thoughts.

He was yanked from his visions by Nord, whose voice made him jump.

"Well, I think we'll be safe here," Nord reasoned, "so feel free to rest a bit. You'll need a clear mind if your teaching Emi to control the Gate today."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right," Maou laughed humorlessly. After eating his fill, and downing enough coffee to give a mortal man a heart attack, Maou went back to his tent and laid down. The scent of Emi still clung to his sheets, and with the memories of last night playing over and over in his head, the Devil was carried off into dreams, where he and Emi were happy, together, and unburdened by the constraints of their obligations. As he slept, a single tear fell from the corner of his eye, for even as the most splendid dreams unraveled, a part of him knew they could never be.

"You look kinda tired yourself, Emi," Rika said, "are you feeling ok?"

"Huh? N-never better! Why do you ask?"

"You look a bit off color. Do you need to go lie down, too?"

"NO! I-I mean, thanks, Rika, but no. I'll be fine."

"Emi, I think Rika is right," Nord said, peering at his daughter from over his spectacles, "you look ill. Why don't you give me Alas-Ramus and have a lie-in? I don't want you using magic if it's only going to exacerbate your symptoms."

Emi tried to talk her way out of it, but in the end, she was banished to the bench, where her sleeping bag was laid out to stake her claim. She laid on her side and tried to cry silently as she thought about last night, and how she had done the unthinkable with the Lord of Demons.

'It felt so good,' Emi thought, 'so why does it feel like it's eating me alive?'

She wasn't sure if it was her guilt at actually making love to the King of Demons, or if it was the scathing, insensitive note she had left for him to discover… or perhaps it was that look he'd given her when he'd come in for breakfast, so full of hurt and betrayal. He hadn't expected more from her, had he? Did the Demon King crave the flesh of the Hero as a trophy? Was she just a conquest to him? No, something told her that the Devil was hurting… he wouldn't have looked so heartbroken if all he'd wanted from her was sex… or would he?

Emi sniffled, and with tears flowing down her face, she fell asleep, though it was far from restful. When she woke again, no one was in the cabin. She put on her cloak and boots before making her way outside, where there seemed to be quite the commotion.

"Ah, Emi, you're awake! Chiho, why don't you show Emi what we taught you?" Nord asked excitedly.

The high school girl turned to Emi, who was still bleary and depressed, and growled in the back of her throat. It grew louder, and for a moment, Emi thought Maou had told Chiho what had happened between them. Then, the high schooler raised a hand, and in her palm rose a miniscule sparkle, like a tiny star dancing over her fingers.

"You can use magic, Chiho?"

The girl nodded. "Yep! Rika can, too! She's really good at it."

"Chiho's just being nice," Rika smiled, "I'm not nearly as good as she is. She's just so talented and amazing and cute!"

The taller woman seized Chiho and hugged her tightly, causing her to cry out in surprise. Emi smiled at her friends' antics, but she found that her heart still felt cold and dead. Almost as if he were a magnet, Emi's eyes were drawn to Maou. He was staring at her, but it seemed as though he were looking into the sun, for the longer he looked, the wetter his eyes became. Finally he turned away, causing Emi's heart to pang violently. That was _not_ the look of a man lusting after her body. That was a man who'd lost all hope of ever being happy again.

"No more time to waste," Lailah interrupted, "Emi, go train with the Demon King. Do exactly as he says. Chiho, Rika, I want the both of you to focus on tapping into and utilizing your powers! Perhaps Suzuno could be of some assistance?"

As Lailah directed everyone, Maou led the way down to the stream, where they could see trout swimming effortlessly up and down the current. They followed the trail, coming to a stop at the pond. The sky was bright, even though there was plenty of cloud cover. Maou stood with his hands in his pockets, looking out over the edge of the cliff. The sound of the waterfall was loud, even from up so high.

"Alright," Maou said, "let's get started."

He sounded extremely disinterested, as though he couldn't care less about opening a Gate. For some reason, he didn't seem to want to look at Emi. He just looked right past her, as though he were talking to someone standing just behind her.

"A Gate is similar to vanishing magic, because in opening a Gate, you are creating another plane of existence. This plane is the realm in which vanished objects are stored, as such, when opening a Gate, you are creating a Gate into this plane, wherein you are then able to-"

"Maou, look at me-"

But he did no such thing. He continued talking as though Emi didn't exist. His eyes, which were lifeless and red, remained firmly fixed on the tree behind her.

"-create another opening into a world of your choosing. This plane, however, is yours to control, allowing you to speed or slow the passage of time-"

"Listen, Maou, I'm sorry-"

This time, he raised his voice, doing his best to ignore the Hero and her words.

"-however, as I'm sure you've guessed, this means that you are not just opening a Gate, you are opening two, and keeping this intermediate plane of existence open as well-"

"-please, I didn't mean for any of that to happen! It was a mistake! I was scared and alone, and you seemed like you needed someone, too-"

"-this results in a massive loss of magic power, though you'll have to use celestial force if you plan on getting us to Heaven."

Emi stepped forward, trying to grip Maou's shoulders and force him to look at her, but he stepped away. There was a hard look in his eyes, but his face was blank and emotionless, as if he'd just thought of something unpleasant. Even as he stared over Emi's shoulder, she found that the pain of his indifference was too much. She hadn't meant to hurt the Demon King. How could she have been so stupid? Why wouldn't he listen? Before she could figure it out, Emi was on her knees. Her eyes were wide, and though tears ran from them, she found that she couldn't sob- her breath seemed to catch in her throat. The look in Maou's eyes was so cold and blasé that Emi felt as though her heart might ice over and shatter to pieces.

"I-I'm s-so sorry," Emi gasped, "I never meant to- I just- I needed-"

Maou glared down at her, his eyes redder than the anger that burned within him. Now that Emi had earned his attention she wished he would look away, for the livid fire in his eyes seemed to bore into her soul, piercing her like red-hot daggers. Meanwhile, the words on Emi's note seemed to have seared themselves into Maou's brain. His face twitched, slowly but surely twisting into a sneer as he recalled the lines that cut him to his core.

' _Last night was a mistake... lapse in judgement_ …'

"Demon King…"

'… _Your wife, Emi_ …'

"Hero."

Emi blanched. Maou had called her 'Hero' just last night, but his tone now… it was unlike anything she'd ever heard. It was dark and merciless: the voice of the Demon King that haunted her nightmares, only worse. The gentle, sweet fast food worker she'd spent the night with had vanished, replaced by this cold hearted monster. There was nothing for it, now. She had changed the name of the game… and now Maou was gone, all thanks to her stupidity… her mistake….

Emi stood, genuinely fearing for her life. She willed the sacred sword to appear, and she held it to Maou's throat. He made no move to strike, nor any sign that he even cared. His sneer only deepened. The evil glint in his eyes did not wane, but he smiled, as though Emi killing him was the least of his worries.

"Do it, Hero." Maou seethed, his eyes bright with moisture. "Take my life to hide your mistake."

"I don't want to kill you," Emi whispered, wondering why Maou seemed so fixated on dying.

"Why not? Getting sentimental? Just do it, already!"

"Maou-"

"DO IT NOW! END THIS!"

The look on Maou's face was dire and desperate, almost pleading. He seemed to want it more than Emi could comprehend. She lowered her sword and Maou stumbled backward, falling to the ground. He rocked where he sat, shivering. It had been so hard for him to stay strong, but being alone with Emi after their night together was more painful than anything Maou had ever experienced. Since when could emotional and psychological pain become so real and physical? As the Demon King, wasn't he invulnerable to those sorts of distractions?

"I can't," Emi uttered, kneeling in front of Maou.

"Please, Emi," Maou said weakly, "I've never asked you for anything before… just end me. Please."

"I can't." she repeated.

Maou fell backward and laid on the ground. Somewhere along the way, his will to live seemed to have left him. Perhaps he'd forgotten it in his tent, when he'd woken up and hoped to see Emi lying next to him, but he didn't have it anymore.

"Why can't you?" Maou asked.

"Because I-"

Emi's words caught in her throat. She was about to tell the Demon King about her feelings… but she just couldn't. She was the Hero, and that title wasn't something she could disregard so casually.

"You don't believe it, do you?"

"Huh?"

"You don't believe what we did was a mistake any more than I do," said Maou, sitting up and meeting Emi's gaze.

She couldn't deny it. She had called it a mistake, but in truth, that one night had made her feel more alive than ever before. Not even the violent thrill of battle could compare to it. The morning after their affair, she remembered sitting awake in the dark, watching Maou snore as she contemplated what to do. In the end, she'd written the note in an attempt to save her honor as the Hero, and distance herself from the Demon King she had fallen in love with. Now, however, he was calling her bluff, and Emi felt her house of cards fall to pieces around her.

"I- uh- I mean-"

Maou brushed the hair out of Emi's face, and electricity flew across the contact. Emi shuddered at his touch, and her body seemed to expect more. Every one of her nerves was aflame, and her mind was mysteriously blank. Only one emotion remained, and it was too frightening for Emi to consider, for it required letting go of everything she knew, and giving into the Demon King completely.

"Emi," Maou murmured.

There it was: the voice of Sadao Maou, the man Emi had made love with. His eyes were warm, like burning fires on a cold night. Everything within her pulled towards him, and she leaned forward, locking lips with him. It only took a moment for Emi's overactive imagination to ruin the kiss. In a split second, Emi witnessed the faces of her father and mother pass before her, their expressions filled with disgust as they saw her kissing Satan Jacob. She couldn't stop it there, though, for Emerada was next. Then Alberto. Each of them looked utterly repulsed. Emi opened her eyes and pushed Maou away, leaving him looking dissatisfied.

"I can't," she choked.

Maou stared at Emi. She looked so mentally and emotionally battered It was hard to think she was the Hero who had put a pin in his quest for total domination of the world. The corners of her eyes were filled with unshed tears, and she grimaced as though she were in intense physical pain. Within her, Maou could sense a raging battlefield. On one side was the Hero, destined to put an end to the malicious reign of the Demon King. And on the other side, battered and bruised, was Emi, the woman who had been alone her entire life, and longed for companionship. Maou knew how hard it was to fight against who you were, but it didn't stop him from feeling hurt.

"So you'll fuck me, but when I want something substantial you 'can't'," Maou glowered.

"I was scared and confused-"

"Save it," Maou muttered standing up and stuffing his hands into his pockets before slouching away.

"Maou? Maou, come back! M-Maou!"

The Devil kept walking, ignoring the Hero's pleading cries as they plucked at his heartstrings. He knew it was unfair of him to treat her so poorly, but he found that there was a savage pleasure to be had in leaving Emi next to that little pond, holding herself as she shook and sobbed quietly.

'I'm a demon,' Maou thought, 'leaving her there is totally within my code of conduct. Especially after how she's treated me.'

"Guess again, asshat," called a very familiar voice.

"Oi, this guy."

The Demon King turned only to find himself face to face with… the Demon King? Maou scowled and crossed his arms, eyeing up his nine foot tall self. They struck the same pose, with their arms crossed and their chests puffed out. Aside from a few similar facial features, they looked so dissimilar that they might've been completely different people.

"Now, don't get me wrong, I've done some pretty fucked up shit," the taller Demon King said, "but what you just did back their? Man, you've got me beat by a margin. You'll never get with her now!"

"I was never going to 'get with her' anyway, she's too good for me," Maou reasoned, making to walk right by his conscious, which had used his power to take a physical form.

The shorter Demon King fully expected to be able to saunter right through the arm that his other self had extended. Instead, he ran into a thickly muscled limb as stiff as a tree branch. He turned to stare with incredulity at his conscious, who smirked.

"Whoops, sorry if I knocked the wind out of you," the Demon King grinned, "since we came back to Ente Isla, I haven't had the chance to get accustomed to my old strength."

"Well I have," Maou grumbled, taking his alternate self by the wrist.

He squeezed, using all of his demonic power to vent his aggression. The taller Demon King blanched. His wrist cracked, and with a cry, he stumbled and fell to his knees. Maou's eyes picked up heat, like cherry red iron, straight from the forge.

"I've been through a hell of a lot in the last couple of days," Maou seethed.

He thought about dealing with his mortality, and working up the nerve to tell Emi how he really felt. He thought about how the two of them had slept together in the heat of the moment, and how the Hero seemed intent on calling what they had done a 'mistake.'

CRACK!

"AAAAAARRRRGGGGHH!" Maou's demon side bellowed as his wrist broke for the second time.

"Straight to the point, you're a demon. You have no concept of what's right and wrong when it comes to being human. It doesn't matter if I love her or not, she's not going to lead me on like a god damned show pony. I'm the Devil, for fuck's sake."

The Demon King on the ground panted, frowning up at Maou. He ground his teeth for a moment before a look of dawning crossed his face, and he slowly began to chuckle.

"Aha! Ahehehahaaah!"

"What the hell is so funny?" Maou snarled, gripping the broken wrist more tightly so that the broken bones scraped together.

"I know why the Hero is so distraught," the Devil giggled, "I know why she's fearful. I know why she's rejecting you!"

Maou staggered as the blood drained from his face. He took a shaky step back as the Demon King before him stood back up, flexing his wrist, which had miraculously mended itself.

"You're lying," Maou shook his head.

"You're such a fool," the Demon King murmured gleefully, "the answer stands right before you, but you're so mired in your selfishness that you can't see it! Your human emotions have blinded you, and your love for the Hero is slowly driving you both apart because you are asking the wrong questions!"

Now Maou sank to his knees as the pendulum of power swung the other way. The nine foot tall incarnation of the Devil's consciousness towered over him, his scarlet eyes flashing with mirth as he grew powerful on Maou's despair. He sucked out the shorter Demon King's sadness and doubt. He siphoned away the fear and anger and bitterness, leaving only cold, hard reality.

With his emotions stalled, Maou found his mind incredibly clear. His thinking power increased, and he felt the gears in his head whirring as they picked up speed. After a moment, it clicked.

They were in Ente Isla, where, for the longest time, the Devil and the Hero were bitter enemies. The people they used to be were conflicting with the people they had become in Japan. As a result, Maou's demon side had grown strong enough to take on a physical form.

If the Demon King on Maou's shoulder had grown stronger, it only stood to reason that Emi's internal Hero was gaining strength as well, and that Hero would never allow Emi to love a Demon King. Not without a fight, anyway.

Maou stood from the forest floor and clung to a tree for support. His alternate self had vanished, leaving no traces of ever having existed in the first place. The day had grown old during Maou's struggle with his inner demon, and darkness was encroaching fast as he shivered from the cold. With stiff legs, he ran back to the pond, but Emi was long gone. He growled in frustration and spun on his heel, rushing back to the trail that would lead him to the cabin, where he hoped Emi had gone.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Yeah, not really much to say, here. In fact, I think this will be the final A/N until the very last chapter, because I really want to get these posted.**


	37. The Devil and the Hero: Reparations

He rounded the cabin and felt relief shoot through him, quelling the molten dread that had begun to churn in his gut. Sitting by the campfire, with her red hair blazing brightly in the light of the frolicking flames, was the Hero. She looked subdued, but not so much that anyone would notice. Maou could barely see any signs of her crying. It seemed that she had hardened her heart, but Maou had bigger issues to contend with. How was he supposed to get her on her own to talk? He licked his lips, took a deep breath, and put up his usual nonchalant front before walking up to the fire and taking a seat next to Emi, who was holding Alas-Ramus in her arms.

"Demon King, you were gone quite a while," Suzuno noted, "we were starting to get worried."

"Ok, for the last time, would everyone call me Maou? Saying 'Demon King' all the time is only going to make discretion harder if someone hears us," Maou grumbled.

"How far you have fallen, sire," Ashiya smirked, "the Demon King I once served would obliterate anyone who did not call him such."

"Titles are meaningless when you consider our mission," Urushihara said sagely. Hearing such wisdom from him was an oddity, but it had his trademark pessimism, so no one seemed to think much of it.

"Speaking of, how goes your training with Emilia," Lailah wondered.

The fallen angel looked back and forth between her daughter and Maou, neither of whom looked up from the fire. Maou could feel the tension building. He only had a few seconds to answer before someone got suspicious and asked more questions, which would be a slippery slope that ended in disaster.

"We've begun to work on the theoretical application of Gate magic," Maou stated. "Still, I plan on making sure she completely understands the subject before she tries to open a Gate."

"Oh, I wish I hadn't fallen from Grace," Lailah groaned sadly, "otherwise that pen I gave you might still work, and you needn't waste your power on opening a Gate!"

Emi was barely listening, though. She nodded slowly, still watching the flames. Next to her, Maou could feel her getting angrier by the second. It was like watching a small whirlwind turn into a full blown category five tornado. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes, and her stare was as hard and piercing as a holy sword.

"I- uh… Emi, could I talk to you for a moment?" Maou asked in a somewhat high-pitched voice.

That one sentence caused everyone situated around the campfire to turn their focus to him. Chiho and Rika looked up from roasting freshly caught trout over the fire. Rika had paused in the middle of seasoning more, and Ashiya froze disemboweling another. It seemed as though he had managed to fish the stream empty.

"We can talk here," Emi answered snootily.

"Please? It's urgent, a matter for only the Hero and the Demon King to discuss."

"Mama, why you mad?"

Alas-Ramus looked up at her mama with those sad violet eyes. They twinkled like polished amethyst as they became watery. Emi tried to smile, but it felt unnatural and weak.

"I just- Mama has a lot on her mind," Emi muttered.

"All the more reason to talk with me," said Maou.

"Go jump off a waterfall," Emi hissed.

"Mama, be nice!"

"That's it, family conference!" Maou cried, "Emi, bring Alas-Ramus and let's go somewhere we can talk-"

"Go fuck yourself-"

"MAMA!" Alas-Ramus shrieked, now bawling her eyes out.

"EMI!" Maou shouted, gesturing at Alas-Ramus, who looked distraught.

"DEMON KING!" Emi hollered, looked as though she just might run him through.

"SIRE!" Ashiya called, reminding his liege that they were making a scene.

"ASHIYA, STAY OUT OF THIS," Maou yelled. He wasn't necessarily shouting at his General, he was just so incensed by Emi's refusal to speak privately that he forgot to lower his voice.

"FINE! LET'S TALK," Emi shouted over the sound of Alas-Ramus' wailing cries.

She led the way around the cabin. Maou had intended to speak with her in his tent, but Emi took the path right back down to where the two of them had been earlier. They came to the pond and it was dark. The moons were reflected on the water. Emi turned and firmly planted herself across from Maou. For a moment it looked as though they were preparing for a duel to the death.

"Talk," Emi commanded.

Maou held out a hand and said, "Sleep."

Alas-Ramus instantly became drowsy, and she fell back against her Mama, her chest rising and falling as her breath fogged in the chill.

"Did you just use magic?" Emi asked worriedly.

"No. I'm still bonded to Alas-Ramus. I just exercised a little self control."

"Not a strong suit of yours, I take it," Emi snapped.

As the two of them prepared for the argument that was sure to come, Maou took in Emi's demeanor. She was leaning heavily upon one leg. If she hadn't been carrying Alas-Ramus, Maou knew her arms would've been crossed, and her bitter glare was as tough and sharp as any blade. Tears streaked her face, and Maou knew she was thinking about their failed training session earlier. Only now did he realize what a mess he'd made of the situation by walking away from the issue.

"I suppose I'll start us off," Maou offered, seeing as Emi simply scowled in silent contempt.

"I would certainly hope so," she hissed, "you're the one who called this stupid family conference."

The Devil took a deep breath, preparing to say his piece. Within a few moments, he cobbled together an assortment of apologies and dove right in.

"I fucked up," he admitted. "I was so busy trying to hash things out, and so preoccupied with drawing up the lines of our relationship that I forgot to consider your feelings. When you told me that what we did was a mistake, I took it personally, and I'm sorry."

"Apology not accepted," the Hero muttered, "now can I go back to the campfire? I'm cold."

"Give me a second, Emi. Please, just let me say what I have to say and then… and then you can do whatever you want. You can even hit me. I deserve it."

"Hmph." Emi huffed, but she made no move to leave. Apparently, the offer to hit the Demon King with no ramifications was too good to pass up. Maou took the initiative and pressed on.

"I wish I was as strong as you," he said after a pause. His words caused Emi to do a double take, and for a second, her ire was replaced with genuine curiosity.

"I wish I had your ability to just shrug off what we did. I wonder what happened to make you so cold, and I wish I could change your mind, but I-"

"I'm the Hero," Emi said loudly, gesturing to herself, "I'm your sworn enemy! I'm supposed to destroy you! It's my fate! You want to know what made me so cold hearted? It was you! You started a war! I was raised on the battlefield! I was trained to be your demise! I dedicated my life to ending yours, and then you- we- I just-"

Her words failed her. Emi shook, but it had nothing to do with the brisk winds carrying flecks of ice cold mist up the waterfall.

"Emi-"

"I'm the Hero! I wasn't supposed to… oh god, what have I done? What did you do to me, Maou?"

"I didn't do anything," Maou said, smiling bitterly as he went to her. She held her head as though her mind were about to break, and her eyes were wide with disbelief. The Devil knew what she was feeling all too well. He felt it in his heart every time he looked at her and remembered that they were supposed to be enemies. It was the pain of being alone all your life, with one goal in mind… only to have that goal replaced by your own traitorous heart's desires.

"You- you're messing with my head! Controlling my thoughts- my emotions! Admit it!"

Emi's tears fell like rain as she staggered and swayed, trying to get away from the Demon King. Maou caught her before she fell, holding her up by her waist. Emi pushed him away, but he wouldn't let go, lest she fall to the ground and drop Alas-Ramus, who was still snoozing away in her arms.

"I'm not manipulating you, idiot," Maou said. "Your feelings are your own."

He looked at her, a fierce hunger in his eyes as he smiled bitterly. Emi felt so weak, for a moment she thought the Devil was draining away her life just by touching her. Somehow, he was sapping her strength, and leaving her powerless, but he made no move to attack. He just held her up, smirking knowingly, as though he understood her pain. She hated it.

"I suppose congratulations are in order, Emi."

"W-why?"

"Because, you've done it," the Devil laughed weakly, "you've defeated the Demon King and laid him low. You've ended his reign of terror… and you didn't even have to kill him to do it."

"What do you mean, Maou? What are you-"

Maou put a finger to her lips, silencing her.

"Emi… I couldn't forget what we did, even if I tried. If we survive this, I'll renounce my throne. I'll give my life to heal this world. I'll do whatever it takes… just so long as we aren't enemies anymore. I'm so tired… so fucking tired… of all the fighting. More than anything, I want to save this world. And we can do it… but we'll have to work together. Can you do that, Emi? Can you work with me until this is all said and done? After that… my life is yours. I'll work the fields of your father's lands with my bare hands. I'll use my powers to set the world to rights, but… Emi, please- don't forget all of our time together!"

Emi listened in silence as Maou groveled and begged for her approval. It was shameful for her to witness, but she watched the Devil, the man she loved and hated above all others, sob as he offered her everything he had. He would give up his titles? He would fix what he'd done? It was a start, but was that supposed to stop Emi from hating him? Would that truly be enough? Could she ever truly forgive his sins?

"All of our time in Japan was spent learning to live in peace! You can't let yourself forget all of that!"

"I didn't forget! I just remembered who I am!"

Within Emi, she felt a strange sense of approval, like a nod from within, telling her that she was right. It was like there was another version of Emi, red eyed and white haired, listening to their argument. She stood with her arms crossed, frowning as she watched the scene unfold.

"You must have forgotten, otherwise you wouldn't be pushing me away like this," Maou rallied. "What about the museum, Emi? Don't you remember what happened?"

Emi pushed harder against the Demon King's chest, but she froze at his words.

'Museum?' Emi thought. 'What museum?'

Now that she thought about it, there _were_ some choice spaces in her memory. She recalled a museum, a fierce battle with a fallen angel of darkness… but what did that have to do with-

The Hero within Emi frowned, and her look could curdle milk.

"The museum," Emi muttered.

After the battle- no, during the battle, Emi and Maou had watched from the sidelines, powerless, as two fallen angels and an archangel battled it out in the skies above Japan. They had borne witness, tired and hopeless, as the forces of evil threatened to overtake them all.

In a last ditch effort to level the playing field, Emi and Maou, knowing that Raphael used love to restore his energy, had kissed. Twice. The first one had been less than spectacular. Their eyes had been open the whole time, and they had twisted and turned, trying to get a view of the battle with their lips locked together. Why would Maou want her to remember that?

The second kiss. The one that had changed everything. _That_ was what Maou meant.

For that kiss, however, Emi hadn't thought of another person, as she had claimed to. She had thought of Maou, just as he had been ever since he came to Japan. They had remained wrapped in a lover's embrace, fierce and passionate, right up until Bernael had come crashing through the ceiling.

"But… how could I have forgotten…"

The Hero within bared her teeth and snarled. One by one, stolen and buried memories tore away from the Hero and replaced themselves in Emi, like tiles in a mosaic, coming together to form a whole, an image of the Demon King that Emi knew and secretly loved.

'Abomination,' the Hero sneered, her expression one of abject disgust.

"I… Maou… how did you know-"

"Our old selves are getting stronger," Maou sighed, looking incredibly tired. Now that Emi was no longer struggling, and her legs were no longer shaking beneath her, Maou let her go, stepping back and running a hand through his hair.

"I think it's time for one more go. For old time's sake," he muttered, more to himself that to Emi.

Emi blushed and turned her face from the falls to stare at the Demon King. She'd been back in her right mind for a whole minute, and the Devil already wanted to hop into a tent with her?!

Maou smirked at Emi's stunned expression.

"I have to stop doing that," he laughed. "What I meant to say is that we should do one more healing session, where I take your emotions. You remember, don't you?"

"Why would you want to take my emotions?"

"Because your inner Hero will compel you to kill me unless we put a stop to it."

Emi was still unsure about trusting the Devil, but after regaining so many glimmering spots of light in her memory, she found it was impossible to deny their bond. They'd held hands, gone on dates, and faced each other's demons. Surely they were in too deep to betray each other at this point. Emi nodded, and before she could change her mind, Maou took her hand and led her away from the freezing mist of the waterfall.

Up the path they went, but instead of heading towards the cabin, they veered to the side and made for the trail down the mountain, where Maou had pitched his tent, or as he called it 'The Demon King's Compact Fortress.'

They ducked inside, and Maou stripped off his coat and rolled up his sleeping bag so Emi could put Alas-Ramus down. Emi felt a curious excitement rush through her limbs. She hadn't been in Maou's tent since the night they had slept together. She could still smell the scent of their deeds, like an intoxicating, musky perfume. It sent tingles down her spine, making her shiver in anticipation.

They sat down and faced one another before putting their hands together, like children playing patty-cake. Maou slid his fingers between Emi's, looking nervous. For all the blush on their cheeks and their overlong stares, they might've been preparing to make love once more.

"You'll have to let me in," said Maou, closing his eyes.

"You're saying lewd shit on purpose, aren't you?"

"Maybe, maybe not, but you know what you have to do, don't you?"

"Just like that time we faced the other Emilia, right?"

"Yes. Hopefully this goes a bit more smoothly. Just don't stab me this time."

"No promises, Demon King," Emi giggled.

The way she said 'Demon King' made Maou's face turn the shade of a beet. He shook his head and tried to ignore the little voice within him shouting for the immediate ravishing of the Hero, who smiled as though she, too, could hear his inner demon.

'Give it to her! Show her your might! Make her fear the power and virility of the DEMON KING!' the little devil on his shoulder squeaked.

Maou's eye twitched and the little demon went flying back into the depths of his subconscious, screaming all the way. He took a deep breath and concentrated on his magic. Seeing as he was touching Emi, he could directly transfer his power into her, rather than letting it leak out into the world for someone to discover. Maou pushed his mental probe through their connection. He found Emi's mind surprisingly open and unguarded. Moving forward, Maou entered Emi's subconscious, where the fields of her old home seemed to stretch on forever in waves of golden grain that never withered or faded.

"Look's nice," Maou said, using his mind to create a physical incarnation of himself next to Emi.

Once more, Maou was in his human form. Normally, for combat purposes, he would've elected his demon form, but after seeing himself as a human in the mirrors of Japan, his default manifestation was as human as they came. The only real difference was that he now wore his old robes and cape, which were padded with armor, and refitted to his human size. His feet were clad in a fine pair of leather hiking boots, the kind he'd seen in the camping surplus store. They'd been high on a shelf, locked in a display case. The price was outrageous, so Ashiya had told him he couldn't buy them, but wearing them in his mind, they were as warm and comfortable as he'd imagined.

"Nice boots," Emi said from next to him, mirth in her voice.

Maou turned to frown at the Hero. She was adorned in her holy raiment, her sword clutched in her hand. Her hair was red and her eyes were green. A single eyebrow was raised, and the corners of her mouth twitched as she looked down at Maou's feet.

"Thanks!"

"I was being facetious," she laughed, "they don't match your Demon Lord robes at all. Hold on, are those the ones from the camping store?!"

"Wha- Yeah! And so what if they don't match the aesthetic, they're comfortable!"

"We're in my subconscious," Emi said loudly, "it doesn't matter what you wear, they'll all be comfortable!"

"Well then, maybe I should just go commando," Maou threatened.

"Just try it!"

Maou and Emi faced off, their cheeks puffed out. Emi was scowling, and Maou was grinning evilly. He focused his will, preparing to change his form. He would appear nude, alright, but not as Maou the human. He would appear as Satan, the Lord of Demons, in all his chiseled, masculine, totally ripped splendor. And, as the ultimate insult, he would appear with an abnormally large phallus.

"HAHA!" he cried in triumph, his voice deepening as he was enfolded in darkness.

"It's too late," Emi said simply, her eyes closed, and a smug smile on her face, "I've already won. The moment you stepped into my mind, your manifestations became subject to my will."

Maou stood before Emi, nine feet tall and buck naked. He grinned like a lunatic, but Emi simply tilted her head at his groin, smirking.

"Missing something, Demon King?" she asked innocently, stifling her laughter.

Maou looked down, and in a moment of intense panic, he reached down and touched his groin.

"WHAT'D YOU DO TO LITTLE SATAN?" Maou screeched.

He ran his clawed hands over the blank expanse of flesh where his manhood had once been. There was nothing. It was flat and smooth, like the privates of a G.I. Joe. Maou stared in disbelief. He'd never had much reason to use his reproductive organs… but that was no excuse for the Hero to steal them away!

"Don't worry, you'll get them back as soon as you put your clothes back on," Emi smiled, leaning against the wall of her home and crossing her arms in satisfaction.

"You win this round, Hero." Maou seethed.

He was engulfed in another swathe of darkness before reappearing once more in his royal vestments. This time, Emi noticed his fancy Japanese hiking boots were replaced by a pair of shiny black leather boots that went with Maou's outfit.

"Huh," he said, reasonably surprised, "I guess you're right. I'm comfortable either way."

A black longsword grew in Maou's outstretched hand. It was the same as the one he had taken from the Ala, but it now glowed with a bloody light. Emi felt her skin crawl just looking at it.

"So, what now?" Maou wondered aloud.

They were both dressed and prepared for battle. Unlike before, Emi's subconscious seemed peaceful and untainted. The sun was bright. The wheat rustled together in a gentle breeze. The little house was still standing… so where was the Hero that Maou had accused of tampering with Emi's judgement?

She cast a wary glance at Maou, who was looking around as though expecting someone to drop from the sky and brandish a sword at him. Thick grey clouds began to gather, and in a single moment, the bright, sunny day had turned grey and bleary.

It started with a single drop.

Then another.

And another.

A steady drizzle began to fall. Maou looked up at the sky, sure that someone would reveal themselves, but to no avail. He looked to Emi, discovering that she was watching him quite carefully. From the uncertain look on her face, he guessed she was still suspicious of his motives. They were, after all, in a very private and personal part of Emi's mind. Any damage Maou inflicted would be considerable, if Emi were unable to stop him.

"Are you gonna glare at me all day, or should we go inside and wait for someone to attack us?" Maou asked, putting his hands on his hips as the rain grew heavy, stinging the skin on his face.

Emi nodded shortly and squelched through the mud, putting her hand on the doorknob and twisting. It did not turn.

"It's locked," Emi frowned.

"Since when is your own subconscious locked?"

"Well, if the Hero knows everything I know… which she does… I'd bet she's trying to keep you out," Emi reasoned.

"That's all well and good, but this rain is getting heavier, and it's getting really cold. Don't you have a key or something? Can't you just think it open?" Maou sighed.

"Do you ever stop complaining?"

"No. It's one of my favorite pastimes."

"Never would've guessed." Emi put a hand onto the wood of the door. She remembered standing at that threshold before. She'd made the choice to let Maou inside her head back then… could she still do it, even though another part of her was supposedly against it?

The truth was, Emi wasn't sure if it was the Hero keeping the door shut, or her. Weren't they one and the same? How could Maou be so sure Emi's alter ego was acting up, when Emi had always considered herself the Hero? Sure, he'd helped her regain some memories, but the more she thought about it, the more she thought that they had always been there, and Maou had just brought them back up.

"Are… are you ok, Emi?"

A warm hand fell on Emi's shoulder. She felt herself shudder at the Demon King's touch. What was she thinking? This was _Maou_ … if she couldn't trust the Demon King, she couldn't trust anyone.

"Fine," Emi muttered, closing her eyes and pressing her forehead against the door. A moment of struggle passed, and then-

Click.

The door swung open, though no one had touched the doorknob. The interior was black and vacant. No matter how Emi and Maou tried, they could not see through it. It was as though someone had hung a black curtain over the door.

"This isn't right." Emi noted.

"Then we know we're in the right place to fix whatever's wrong," Maou said determinedly.

He waited a moment for Emi to come back to her senses. She stared into the darkness with a frown, as though trying to exert some level of control over it.

"Yeah," Emi agreed slowly. "Come on. Let's go inside."

Even before the door swung shut behind them, Emi could feel that they weren't in her little home. The air was dry, and smelled of dust and neglect. She felt that she recognized the smell. It set of red flags in her memory, and made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

"Emi, the door is gone," Maou whispered nervously.

The Hero nodded. Using her mind, she willed her eyes to see through the darkness. She and Maou were standing in a long, windowless corridor. The brightest visible light was the red that gleamed in Maou's eyes, and the aura about his blade.

"I know this," realized Maou.

He ran a finger along the walls. A shiver of familiarity ran through him, as though the stones remembered the Demon King as well.

"This is my castle. We're in my castle on Ente Isla's central continent."

"Why is my psyche styled after the palace of my archenemy?" Emi wondered aloud.

Maou cleared his throat, raising an eyebrow at the Hero, who quickly blushed and began to march off down the corridor.

"That's not the right way," Maou commented, crossing his arms and smirking at the Hero.

Emi came to a stop before huffing and pirouetting on her heel. She pushed past Maou with her nose in the air and a pout on her lips. The Demon King shook his head and followed after her at a steady pace. Every now and again, he would turn and survey the architecture. The castle was remarkable: a true feat of ingenuity. Maou found that it was well preserved in Emi's memory, most likely due to the fact that this was the location of what she thought would be her final showdown with the Demon King.

The corridor ended in a large archway that led into the throne room. Seeing as he knew the castle like the back of his hand, Maou figured that the Hero- the other Hero- would be there. It was the sight of her greatest triumph, where she had routed the armies of evil, and the Demon King himself, only for victory to be snatched away at the last minute.

The throne room was meticulously crafted, and within Emi's memory, it was whole and sound: unscarred by battles past. The only difference was that the great throne against the far wall had been smashed, shattered to pieces with a force Maou could only compare to a bulldozer, or an angry middle aged woman who always asked to see your manager. Neither of those things were in the grand chamber, however. Aside from Maou and Emi, only one other person was there.

It was a beautiful young woman with long white hair, and a single braid that she had swept behind her ear. Her beauty was marred by a permanent scowl, and though she appeared to only be around sixteen, she carried a silent, taciturn poise that bespoke maturity far beyond her years. This was the Hero, the young woman who had been raised to slay the Devil. Everything about her seemed warlike, as if Emi had a little sister who'd gone to military school, but they looked so alike, they could only be the same person.

The Hero stood facing away from Maou and Emi. She had one arm drawn across her chest, while her other rested upon it. She held her jaw delicately, a single armored finger rapping gently against her chin. She gazed out of a grand window, over a balcony Emi had seen in her nightmares.

The Hero was dressed head to toe in armor. It was her holy raiment, designed to ward off evil, and assist in the slaying of demons. It was stamped with the crest of the Church, like a brand, almost as if to say _'this Hero is property of the Church, please return if found._ '

"Emi Yusa," the Hero said quietly, "and Sadao Maou. I bid you both welcome. What brings you here in such trying times?"

Emi frowned. The Hero knew exactly what they were doing there, so why was she playing dumb? And why was she just staring out of the window with those shrewd, scarlet eyes?

She spoke in Ente Islan, though not in Centruvian. It was the dialect native to the Western Continent, more specifically, the area around Sloan village. It was simplified, and told of a surf's upbringing. Most nobles would sneer unkindly at such a dialect, but growing up, Emi had used it whenever she could. It had served both to piss off arrogant dignitaries, and to help her connect with the soldiers in her army, most of whom were men and women of poverty, risen in earnest against the Demon King and his tyranny.

"You know why we're here," Emi responded in kind, showcasing her flawless knowledge of the language, though her tone was now touched with traces of a Japanese accent.

The younger girl turned, frowning up and down at Emi. It was clear that the Hero didn't think very much of her alternate self, dressed as it was in plain clothes, and stripped of the lean muscle of harsh training and army life.

In truth, staring at her counterpart made Emi a little wistful. After spending two years in Japan, she'd become lax with her physical appearance. It was normal for women on Earth to do cardio and yoga, but they did not often drill for hours with heavy swords, nor did they march for days with all of their equipment on their backs. The Hero before Emi was clearly quite lean and strong, probably at her physical peak for a girl of only sixteen.

"No, I do not. I have watched what you have been doing since our failed attempt to end the Demon King. Every day, I grew more wary as he lulled you further and further into his devious snare. You befriended your greatest enemy. Now you're on your way to Heaven for a mission that will only serve to make tensions worse in Ente Isla. I saw the both of you, committing the most terrible atrocity that I've ever cared to witness. Now you come before me, together, swords bared and ready for battle. No, I have no clue what you are doing here."

The Hero crossed her arms. Her frown lines deepened, and she turned back to stare out the window, though there was nothing out there, save an eerie red glow and an empty balcony.

Emi thought she heard a hint of hurt in the Hero's voice. The scarlet eyes met the green, and Emi felt an odd connection pass between them. She understood her younger self's thinking process, having undergone it firsthand. She was once so stubborn and proud. She'd been a simple farm girl, raised to be a warrior. It didn't change the fact that she'd been a hormonal teenager, however.

"Uh- why are you so young? I mean, if you don't mind me asking," Maou posed, scratching his cheek in an embarrassed manner.

The Hero turned and scowled at the Devil, though she couldn't hide her confusion.

"She doesn't speak Japanese, idiot," Emi muttered to Maou.

"Oh, right. My bad. Sorry about that."

Emi elbowed Maou in the ribs, "Try apologizing in Centruvian. Geez, you're so thick, sometimes."

"That's what you said the other night," Maou giggled.

Emi stared at Maou with murder in her eyes for a moment before turning back to the Hero, who watched the exchange with a strange look in her eyes, as if she were witnessing something indecent. Something told Emi that this young girl was not comfortable around such displays of familiarity between a man and a woman. In Ente Isla, love was a much more private affair, and public displays of affection were wholly frowned upon. Being a teenager raised by the Church, the Hero had never seen such a relationship. Emi could only wonder how shocked the younger Hero must've been when she had spent the night with Maou.

"What is the Demon King saying?" the Hero asked suspiciously.

She held out clawed gauntlet, and the hazy outline of a blade appeared in her hand. Emi tensed, seeing how strong the holy sword was at full power, just as it had been when she'd assaulted the Demon Lord's Castle. She hadn't seen it so large in years.

"My apologies, Hero," Maou said, stepping by Emi, "I was just wondering why you look so young."

"As if I would deign to answer-"

"It's because this was the last time I actually felt like the Hero," Emi answered quietly. "Since I went to Japan… since we started working together to survive… I haven't felt like a Hero. She's manifested in the form I took when I was on the brink of victory, back before I ever went to Japan... before I knew you."

Maou knew Emi didn't mean to hurt his feelings, but it didn't stop the sting of her words. They had worked together for the greater good, for the betterment of demons and humans… how could she not feel like a Hero? She certainly _acted_ like the world sat on her shoulders all the time.

"Maybe… maybe it was just the loss of my magic. Or how fragile my body became… but the truth is, I haven't really seen myself as the Hero for a long time. My world was turned on its head, angels attacked, my parents came back into my life- I became a mother, I lost my job…"

"You can still be the Hero," the younger Emi said, stepping forward, "take One Wing, and use it to kill Satan."

Emi stared at the sword her counterpart held out, tracing the nostalgic blade with hungry eyes. Maou wanted to snap her out of it, but the Hero watched him carefully, and he got the feeling that if he moved too fast, she would strike him down without a second thought, and as she was a part of Emi, Maou doubted he could stop her.

"Emi, if killing me was the right thing to do, you'd have done it already," Maou muttered.

He wasn't sure she had heard him until she turned back to face him. She looked surprised, almost as if she'd forgotten he was there.

"You've only ever followed your own convictions, Emi. You've chosen to spare my life on more than one occasion. We're in this together."

Maou held out a hand. The Hero's face twitched, a brief flash of anger betraying how she really felt. Within the white haired girl, the Demon King could sense an angry, bubbling fury, like a volcano spewing molten lava and ash as it destroyed everything around it. The Hero hated the Demon King for escaping punishment, for ensaring her in a life of inescapable togetherness. She hated herself for showing the Devil mercy, for allowing him to have such sway over her- and for those god damned butterflies that always seemed to get excited when he drew near.

All this and more Maou sensed in an instant. His malevolent crimson eyes met the Hero's vindictive scarlet gaze.

Meanwhile, Emi stood between the Devil and the Hero, torn between her duty to Ente Isla, and her love for a Demon King she was destined to defeat.

On one side, the Hero held out her blade, the Holy Sword, Better Half, in its fullest and most powerful form. It was a weapon unlike any other; priceless as the holy metals that went into its forging… so what did the Devil have to offer?

His hand. That was all. His nails were somewhat ragged, no doubt because he'd been nervously chewing them while contemplating his bills. Even inside Emi's psyche, Maou's hand still had burns from the fryer at MgRonalds. He had long, slender fingers that were decorated with callouses from various side jobs.

Compared to the holy sword, how could the Devil's hand possibly compare?

A light caught Emi's eye, a winking light reflecting off of shiny metal. It was Maou's wedding ring. Almost as if they were connected, Emi felt the wedding ring on her finger grow heavy.

"I can't kill Maou." Emi muttered.

"Then step aside," the Hero snarled, "and I'll do it for us."

"No, you won't."

The Hero made to grip Emi's shoulder and push her aside, but Emi didn't move. In a single moment, Emi had caught the Hero by the elbow, pushing her sword arm well away from Maou. The Hero struck Emi with an armored fist, driving it up under her ribcage. Emi gasped and felt her head go light as stars danced in front of her eyes, but she stood her ground.

"I must kill the Demon King!"

"He is not the enemy," Emi choked as she struggled to draw breath.

The Hero's eyes filled with angry tears as she tried and failed to get past her elder self. Emi watched as the Hero, who quickly grew more and more desperate, positively howled with rage, stabbing at Maou from under Emi's outstretched arms.

"GGRRAAAAHHH! LET GO OF ME! I MUST KILL THE DEVIL! PEACE MUST BE RESTORED, AND HIS DEATH-"

Emi pushed the Hero away and held her at arm's length, staring her dead in the eye.

"Maou's death won't undo the past. It won't magically put Ente Isla to rights. And it won't make us feel any better."

Try as she might, the younger Emi could not free herself from her own piercing stare. Looking into those green eyes, which seemed so sure and logical and wise, was like hell to the Hero. If she didn't know any better, her older self might have already gone through the same thing.

"If there is no Demon King to defeat, then what good is a Hero?" the white haired Emi wondered.

The holy sword vanished from her hands as she lost her will to fight. She fell forward, but Emi held her up.

"Putting a stop to the Demon King's invasion was the easy part," Emi smiled, "what comes next- putting everything back together… healing the land... that will take time and effort. And besides, you routed not one, but three individual demon armies. We've already earned the title of 'Hero.'"

"You- you really think so?"

The young Emi looked up at her counterpart. There was something so comforting about seeing her future self act with such surety. It made her feel better, knowing that she not only survived, but that she had grown into such a wise, strong woman.

"I know so. Trust me. We _are_ the Hero. We've put a stop to the Demon King, we made him see the error of his ways… now there's only one thing left to contend with."

The Hero looked into Emi's determined emerald stare. Something passed between them, and the Hero was suddenly made aware of all of Heaven's atrocities. Her hair blew in a breeze as her celestial force blossomed outward, forming a crackling shell of white power around her.

"Heaven must be stopped," the Hero realized.

Emi smiled, hugging her younger self to her chest. There was a moment where the Hero's eyes widened in surprise before she smiled and hugged her back. Light blinded Maou, so he shielded his eyes, and by the time the light had dimmed, he and Emi were alone in a little farmhouse. A fire crackled merrily in the grate. The sun shone brightly through the windows.

"What'd you do?"

"I just… found myself," Emi shrugged.

"Ok… but how do you feel?"

Emi scrutinized Maou closely, noting the nervous sweat on his face. She felt a begrudging sense of attachment within her, as though the Hero were finally admitting she found the Devil attractive. As the Hero in Emi blushed, so did she.

"Better," Emi smiled.

Their eyelids fluttered open. They were once more in the little tent. Maou and Emi held hands for a moment longer, smiling bashfully, until a light groan from beside them drew their attention. Alas-Ramus was still sleeping, a great smile on her face as drool fell from the corner of her mouth.

Emi went and fetched her sleeping bag from the cabin. She returned shortly thereafter, informing Maou that everyone else had gone to bed.

"I left a note saying that Alas-Ramus and I are staying out here with you for the night. I don't want them worrying," Emi explained.

Maou nodded. The Hero lifted Alas-Ramus so that he could lay out his sleeping bag. The parents clambered under the covers, the small girl laying between them as they stared into each other's eyes. Slowly, sleep overtook the Devil and the Hero, and they rested well into the morning, sleeping more peacefully than they had since they'd come to Ente Isla.

The Demon King woke at noon the next day. Alas-Ramus was standing over him, an irritated glint in her eyes as she frowned down at her papa.

"Get up! I'm hungwy!"

"Huh? Oh- ok, give me a second… no, don't wake mama! She needs her rest!"

Maou observed Emi, noting her slight frown. She was curled up, and wrapped in a thicket of blankets. Even so, she was shivering, as though she were still cold. Whatever Emi was going through, it wasn't pleasant, and she needed all the rest she could get. The Devil put on his coat, and then painstakingly stuffed Alas-Ramus into her own. Maou had never been so appalled as he had been when buying the toddler's winter clothes. He figured that seeing as less material was used in their creation, then they would be cheaper than adult coats and boots. He'd never been so mistaken in his life. And it didn't help that Emi insisted he buy the toddler name brand clothes, instead of knockoffs or discounted winter wear.

"Huwwy! I wanna eat!"

"Yeah, yeah, let me zip your coat and we can go," Maou sighed.

He exited the tent only to feel the cruel chill of winter press down on him from all sides. Clearly a cold snap had worked its way through Ente Isla's Western Continent. The farmers to the south would be in an uproar over the unseasonable chill. Shaking in his boots, Maou hurried up the trail to the cabin, where he saw smoke roiling from the chimney.

The interior of the cabin was warm and smelled strongly of frying breakfast. Though the weather outside had only grown less hospitable, he felt far better than he had the day before; after his night with the Hero, and her heart-wrenching note, which was still in his pocket.

"Maou, have you seen Emi," Nord asked.

The Demon King handed Alas-Ramus to her foster grandmother, who smiled and took her to the table, where several plates of food had already been set aside just for her and Acies-Ara, who consumed more than everyone else put together.

"Sleeping," Maou replied tiredly, wishing that he were still doing just that.

"I suppose she needs the sleep. I'd wager the both of us got sick yesterday. Being so close to our old home is no good for her immune system… I myself fear I may have caught a cold."

Looking at Nord up close, Maou could definitely tell something was amiss. The man had dark circles under his eyes. His beard, which was usually well kempt and combed, was a tangled mess. His long hair hung free of its usual ponytail, and cascaded down his shoulders. He wore only his pajamas, and his skin was frightfully pale. He had several empty boxes of nose tissue around him, and it looked as though he would need more any minute.

"I still think it's more than a cold," Lailah chided, cutting a sausage into chunks for Alas-Ramus.

"It's nothing to be concerned about… truth be told, I think Emi will have the worse end of the stick." Nord punctuated his statement with a hacking cough, the type that would make any physician worth their salt do a double take. Lailah scowled at her husband. Even for his age, he was just as stubborn as he had been when she met him.

"Morning, all"

Chiho, Rika, and Ashiya all strolled into the cabin, bringing with them a freezing gale that made everyone shiver. Rika and Chiho, both of whom were still suffering from massive blisters, limped over to the table. For the first time, Maou realized how out of it he must've been. He'd been so busy with Emi, he'd very nearly forgotten that Chi and Rika weren't even supposed to be there.

"You guys ok?" he asked lamely.

Something of his guilt had shown on his face, for Chiho smiled widely and nodded. The effect was ruined when she accidentally kicked the table.

"SON OF A BITCH!"

No one had ever heard Chiho curse so loudly, nor so fluently. Since when did this sweet, soft-spoken girl cuss like a sailor straight from the grungy docks of Ente Isla's dingiest port cities?

It only got worse when Chiho lifted her foot from the floor and teetered. She fell onto the table and sent food, coffee and used nose tissue flying in all directions. Maou felt his magic flare. He pushed it inward, and time seemed to slow as his demonic reflexes returned.

He could see Chiho falling, incredibly slowly, her face painted in pain and surprise, and her eyes brimming with tears. First, he pulled her away from the wreckage that was about to become the table. Then, as the platters of food were sent catapulting across the room, Maou caught them. All of the food neatly piled itself upon the platters before Maou set them safely off to the side. Finally, he found the coffee pot, which was only moments away from being shattered against the bench next to Lailah, and showering both her and Alas-Ramus with blazing hot bean-roasted goodness.

He snatched the coffee pot away from the bench and set it by the food. Sadly, he couldn't do much more, and time suddenly resumed its usual pace. The leg of the table broke. Mugs of coffee slid off the edge and shattered on the floor. Used tissues flew every which way, like large, disgusting snowflakes. One landed on the fork Lailah had been piloting like an airplane into Alas-Ramus' mouth. Lailah scowled at her husband.

"This is why I told you to clean up your snot rags!"

"I'll get right on it, dear," Nord sighed.

As he went about cleaning up his mess, Chiho sniffled on the floor. Maou bent down to make sure she was ok when another icy breeze licked the back of his neck. He turned, and there in the doorway was the Hero. She was dressed in a set of embarrassingly pink bunny pajamas. Her nose was red and her eyes were puffy. Her fringe was droopy and lackluster, and her hair still stuck up at odd angles, as though she'd just woken up.

"What's going on? I heard a bunch of noise. And who broke dad's table?"

Nord bent down, surveying the extent of the damage to the table with sad eyes. Any other day, he might've had the time and energy to fix it, but as things were, there was little he could do but sigh and run a hand through his hair.

"I-it was m-me," Chiho groaned, snot trailing from her nose as she tried not to cry.

"She's still got those blisters, and when she hit one against the table, she sort of keeled over," Maou explained, noting the way Emi's eye was twitching. "It was an honest mistake."

Emi gnawed the inside of her cheek. She hadn't wanted to expend any more of her magic, lest she compromise their mission, but Rika and Chiho were both clearly suffering, and that table was her father's best woodwork to date. He'd spent weeks on it, shaping it from a tree he'd felled.

"Rika, Chiho, have a seat at the bench," Emi decided.

"Emilia, darling, you shouldn't waste any more of your magic," Lailah reminded her.

"It's not a waste if I'm helping my friends," Emi snorted, whipping her nose on her sleeve as she bent down before Rika and Chiho. The girls kicked off their hiking boots, and Emi saw the extent of the damage. The blisters had not healed at all. In fact, they had broken open and bled profusely. A couple looked as though they might've become infected. It was a testament to the girls' willpower that they were up and about.

"Goodness, you two really did a number on yourselves," Emi muttered.

"Sorry," Chiho pouted.

"Don't be. I'll heal you and- ah-AH-ACHOO!"

Emi sneezed so hard hat she fell backward and landed on her butt. She sat there, stunned for a moment, as Rika and Chiho smiled, doing their best not to laugh.

"Oh man, if I knew Emi was sick I'd have stayed in my tent," drawled a familiar voice

Another burst of cold rolled through the cabin, and Urushihara and Suzuno were standing in the doorway. Urushihara was holding several logs to put in the fireplace, and Suzuno was carrying a large, sharp axe. The both of them were bundled quite thoroughly in winter clothes, including scarves, hats, and gloves.

"I'm not sick," Emi snapped, "I just… I…. aaaAAAACHOO!"

Emi's intimidating demeanor was suddenly lost as she sneezed again. Snot flew from her nostrils and she hurriedly covered her face and began sifting through empty tissue boxes. Nord, in an effort to help, tossed the box he was carrying at Emi. It bounced off of her head, and she scowled at her father for a moment before ripping out several sheets.

"Whoops, sorry sweetheart."

Emi blew her nose several times and finally levelled her gaze to the fallen angel and the inquisitor. They were both smiling and doing their best to stifle their giggling. The way they looked at each other made Emi's stomach turn unpleasantly.

"Uh, Emi? Maybe you should heal Rika and Chi before you kill Urushihara?" Maou offered.

She shot the fallen angel one more venomous glare, which he didn't even notice, and then set about healing her friends. Rika and Chiho flinched every now and again, but for the most part, they sat still and endured the pain. By the time Emi had finished, not a single blemish or pink spot remained.

"Yay! I can walk!" Chiho proclaimed, standing up and feeling as though she could take on the world.

"Good. Now, how about we discuss that language you used earlier?" Lailah asked, looking stern.

Chiho swallowed past the lump in her throat and squeaked, "Sorry, mom! I mean, sorry Lailah!"

"I'm just messing with you, dear," Lailah smiled. "Come eat. You look famished!"

Emi flicked her wrist at the table. Within seconds it had repaired itself. The wood flew back together, each splinter replacing itself perfectly. After a moment, it looked good as new. Even the shattered coffe mugs had ben repaired.

"If I weren't so miserably sick, I'd hug you," Nord said thickly.

Emi grinned and hugged her dad anyway. She was sick as it was, and something told her that some shared germs wouldn't hurt.

Suzuno and Urushihara took a few extra minutes to remove all of their winter clothes before taking their places around the table as well. Most of the day was passed in a rather lax fashion. With Emi sick, no Gates could be opened. Training wouldn't get very far, and Nord was against any of them leaving the cabin, lest any more of them get sick in the frightful chill that had overtaken the mountain.

Hot cocoa and coffee and tea were brewed by the gallon. Everyone took turns changing into their comfy pajamas. Emi read Alas-Ramus several of her old books by the light of the fire. Maou sat with them, poking fun at Emi every now and again when she mispronounced a word or accidentally stuttered. Emi said nothing about his joke, though, for he also handed her a tissue whenever her voice became garbled from phlegm.

Ashiya and Rika sat on the bench in front of the fire, listening to the stories as they sipped on steaming mugs of cocoa. Rika kept elbowing him and nodding at the little family, as if to emphasize their togetherness, like _'That will be us soon!'_

Chiho noted the taxidermied fish hanging on the wall of the cabin. Nord threw an arm over her shoulder and told her all about how he'd caught the fish, and subsequently taught himself taxidermy. By the end of the tale, Chiho was coughing as well as Nord.

Urushihara and Suzuno shared a chair. It was obviously Nord's personal chair, as it was large and throne-like. He'd thrown it with a pelt of some kind, and while it didn't particularly smell all that great, it was warm and comfortable. The two of them snipped at each other, but their hearts weren't really into the argument. They slowly fell asleep together, with Suzuno's head on Urushihara's shoulder, and his head rested against hers.

Nord, Lailah, and Acies-Ara all left for the bedroom, as they were all rather tired. Not that Lailah or Acies could get sick, but as Nord had been awake all night, so too had his wife and foster daughter. They found it difficult to sleep when Nord blew his nose every five minutes.

The world turned, day became night, and soon everyone was drowsy. The heat and the scent of wood smoke was intoxicating. Sadly, not everyone was able to sleep. The Demon King sat awake, lost in thought as the flickering flames reflected in his eyes. He watched them without truly seeing their beauty. He had been in Ente Isla for.. what was it now? Three- no, four days? How much longer would they be there? Their rations were already running low, and Alas-Ramus and Acies-Ara had laid waste to their supply of food from Japan. They needed to get going… Emi needed to complete her training. He decided that, sick or no, tomorrow would be the day. Tomorrow, Emi would learn to control the gate. He had no doubts she would master it easily. Emi was, if nothing else, resourceful.

He looked down at Emi and Alas-Ramus, who were curled up in a blanket by the hearth. They looked so peaceful and cozy that the Devil wished he could join them… but he knew it would do no good. Even if he wanted to, sleep wasn't something he needed.

It was one thing in Japan, where magic was scarce. He was forced to eat and sleep to maintain his body's natural energy. In Ente Isla, where magic was naturally occurring, he didn't need to eat or sleep. That wasn't what kept him from curling up next to Alas-Ramus and trying, though.

As a King, Maou was well aware of the cost of battle. He knew all about casualties and collateral damage. He was a master of strategizing, and his tactical thinking was unmatched, given his superior demon's intellect. Only Ashiya could boast a keener mind, and even so, he often underestimated his enemies. Maou was not so careless.

That's why he was awake, for even as he wanted desperately to sleep, the consequences that would befall his friends should they fail in their mission ate at him like locusts.

Chiho's parents would likely never know what happened to her. They would be left to wonder what had happened, hoping against hope that Chiho would one day return. The same went for Rika's family. Sooner or later, they would notice her absence. They would send the authorities to search for her… and they would fail, all the same.

Countless people; friends, coworkers, and acquaintances alike, would wonder what had happened to them. They would wonder how such sweet young women could just disappear. But at the end of the day, they would sigh and get on with their lives, completely unaware of the sacrifice they'd made.

An anger gripped Maou's heart. He wished he'd never involved Chiho and Rika. He wished they had stayed in Japan.

A devious idea came to the Lord of Demons, something so sinister and deplorable that he was taken aback by his own evil.

Rika and Chiho were cuddled together for warmth on the bench, not even five feet from him. Maou was brimming with power. With a snap of his fingers, he could send them back to Earth. They would awaken, tired and confused, in the streets of Japan, and Maou could undergo his mission. If he failed, then they could live normal lives. They could forget about Ente Isla. They could get therapy, or convince themselves it was just a dream. If, by some miracle, he succeeded in defeating Ignora… perhaps he could return and explain. Or apologize. Anything, so long as they were safe from the conflict.

But a part of him, the cold, logical part, knew that it was already too late. He'd seen how pale they were, standing inside Suzuno's barrier. He'd watched them flinch when the Templars had screamed in agony. No, they were already affected. The war had sunk it's bloodstained teeth into another two innocents.

He looked down. His thumb and middle finger were pressed together so hard they were white. His entire hand shook. One little snap… one movement would ensure their safety.

'Rika will never be safe,' Maou chided himself, 'or did you forget what Asmodeus did to her? Not to mention Alciel would despise you for sending her away… and Chiho… well, she's so invested, she'd probably just find a way to open a Gate and follow after us.'

"Maou?" Emi asked.

She sat up, rubbing her eyes and watching Maou blearily. The Demon King quickly fixed a blank expression onto his face.

"Yeah? What's up, Emi?"

"Go to sleep," she said, "I need you to lay in front of me so the light of the fire isn't directly in my eyes."

Normally, Maou might have critiqued Emi, and taken a jab at how whiny she sounded, but she was pouting slightly, and her hair was a mess, and her cheeks were rosy and-

"Why are you smiling at me like that?" Emi asked, frowning.

Maou simply shook his head. There was no point in trying to explain how much she meant to him, or how beautiful she was, even when she was tired.

"No reason," he whispered, "night, Emi."

"G'night Maou."

The Hero laid back down and gently wrapped an arm around Alas-Ramus before shutting her eyes and going to sleep. The Demon King, on the other hand, decided that his time would be better spent consuming his magic to stay awake, so he could trace every detail of Emi's face until the fire burned low, and he finally fell into a sleep so pleasant and warm he wished it would never end.


	38. The Devil and the Hero: Heaven

Maou fell backward against a tree, and within moments, Emi was upon him, like a ravenous wolf tearing apart her kill. Only, there was no blood and gore. In place of these were passion and desire, both of which Emi used as tools to tear Maou's inhibitions to pieces. He threw his arms around her, savoring the way her hair smelled of citrus shampoo, and how she bit his lower lip affectionately.

"Mmm!"

Maou pushed her away, panting hard. Emi was breathing heavily as well, but the hunger in her green eyes was unlike anything Maou had ever seen. She looked as though she might just eat him alive.

"Training," said Maou, trying to kick start his train of thought. He had just been telling Emi about something important- theoretical something or another, but he couldn't remember it for the life of him.

He made to push her away, but she flung him back against the tree.

"You were talking about the intermediate plain between two Gates, where the spell caster is in control," Emi whispered in his ear, "and I'm the spell caster, so I'm in control."

Sadly, Emi and Maou's training had not gotten very far. The day was overcast and grey, and it was still rather chilly, as it was early in the morning. Even so, the two of them had no problem maintaining warmth, even next to the ice-cold falls.

"Mmmm! Emi, pleashe focush!"

His lisp was due to the fact that the Hero was playfully biting his lip again. The way she looked at him was so innocent and seductive, the Devil felt the urge to stop the lesson and commence physical relations.

'Do it!'

"Oi, thish guy," Maou groaned, speaking through Emi's extraordinarily wet kiss.

'Give it to her!' shouted Maou's demon. 'Take her behind those trees and show her your dark spear!'

Emi's knee was suddenly between Maou's legs. In an instant, he felt his navel wrench as Little Satan stood at attention.

"Ok, that'sh it!"

In one fell swoop, Maou drove away the little demon on his shoulder and pushed Emi away. It was difficult, given how powerful she was now that they'd returned to Ente Isla, but he managed to hold her at length and stare right into her eyes. She pouted for a moment before Maou took a deep breath.

"Dead puppies," he huffed, "sweet, innocent, dead puppies. You're favorite kind of dog, except little, and cute, and dead."

"Well, that killed the mood," Emi snipped, wiping away the saliva from the corner of her lip, as though she hadn't just had her tongue in and around her mortal enemy's mouth.

"Good. Then maybe we can get some training done," Maou posed pointedly.

Emi led the way back into the clearing by the falls, but it was no good. Something about the way she moved stole Maou's concentration, and by the time they'd returned, he had already forgotten where they had left off.

"What were we talking about before our discussion became- er- derailed," Maou asked.

"The intermediate plane between two Gates," Emi supplied, sounding thoroughly uninterested in learning.

"Right. Uh- well, I suppose that about does it for the theoretical review. Let's do some practical application!"

Emi half expected Maou to drop his pants and proposition her, as it seemed to be on par with the sort of backwards thinking that the Demon King employed. Demon or no, he was still a hot-blooded man, and as a rule, all men were horn dogs. Emi was so titillated, however, that she felt she might accept his advances, anyway, even if only to shock him. Instead, Maou set Emi up to meditate, sitting on a freezing cold stone by the water. He then had her open and close several Gates. That was the easy part. The hard part for Emi was controlling where the Gates opened.

"Focus," Maou whispered in her ear. "Feel the place you're trying to reach. Imagine you're falling towards it. Start from far away, and zoom in until you have the exact spot."

"I can do that," growled Emi, "but I have no idea what Heaven is even supposed to look like. I can't open a Gate precise enough to take us there if I don't know exactly where it is."

"Well, don't look at me… I'm the Demon King, remember? Still, maybe with a little help, you could see Heaven firsthand."

That was where Urushihara and Lailah came in. The Hero, her mother, and the former archangel all stood in a circle with their arms crossed. Emi's brow was beaded with sweat. Lucifer was pouting, and Lailah was busy berating the Demon King.

"Are you even sure this will work?" she asked. Maou suddenly realized where Emi got her snooty tone. The resemblance between mother and daughter when they were upset was uncanny.

"How would I know? Just shut up and show Emi what Heaven looks like! We're burning daylight, and every day spent here increases the chances of us being found out."

The fallen angel glared at the Demon King for a moment before tutting and dragging her daughter to the pool by the elbow. The water was clean, crisp, and cool. They could see all the way to the bottom, as though the fish were swimming in liquid glass.

"Lucifer-"

"Sorry, I'm not going to be much help," Urushihara said, picking his nose and flicking a booger away.

"So nothing new there, I guess," Maou shrugged.

The Demon General grew hot under the collar and grumbled something about showing Maou, marching over to the pool and kneeling on Emi's other side. Together, Lailah and Urushihara dipped their fingers into the icy mountain water. The clear water became opaque before it suddenly became grey and blue. With a start, Emi realized it was mirroring the sky above them. By the time she had turned her gaze back to the mirror-like reflection, the image within had changed. Emi saw a white light. She was rising through clouds that shown with their own luminescence, as if lit from the inside with golden flames. The image twisted, and suddenly, Emi saw it.

It was a marvelous city made of marble and gold. The streets were lined with gold, and everything had an unnatural glow. She felt a wave of celestial force stronger than any she'd ever encountered sweep over her. The sun was setting at her back, painting the white city with reds, oranges, and pinks. Even as she took in every pillar, every terrace, and every garden, the image faded, leaving her with a longing she'd never experienced. For the first time, she found that she wanted to go to Heaven, even if it was only as a tourist.

"It's amazing," Emi muttered without thinking. On her right, Lailah stared at the water, her face portraying a sadness so intense that she looked as though she'd never be happy again.

"It truly is," Lailah agreed.

"It _was_ ," scoffed Urushihara. "Heaven lost its beauty when it lost its integrity."

With that, he stood from Emi's side and walked away, his hands in his pockets and his head bowed in thought. Somehow, Emi felt that if she had been cast down from a place like that, she'd probably be a little bitter, too. Lailah flicked away a tear before clearing her throat, bidding farewell to the Devil, and following after Urushihara.

The Hero stood from the pool before turning to face Maou. He was watching her as though he couldn't get enough of her beauty.

"I think I can do it," she said. "I think I can get us to Heaven."

The next two days passed in rapid succession, as they were spent in relatively the same way. In the mornings, Maou rose from his outpost to go to the cabin, where he met everyone for breakfast. As they had exhausted the leftovers, Ashiya had taken to fishing with renewed vigor, and had netted them some very tasty trout. All those who could use magic to sate their appetites did so, leaving just enough food for the Yesod fragments and the humans.

After breakfast, the Devil and the Hero went down to the pool, where they would train hard, and, provided no one else came to check their progress, they would openly display their affection for each other.

At first, it was simple and sweet: a gentle touch here, a sultry glance there. But as they spent more and more time together, it was less about the fact that they were going to die, and more about them finally having connected to someone. Even so, the end of their journey was closing in on them, more rapidly than ever.

At the campfire, at the end of the second day, Maou found he could no longer contain his concern for Chiho and Rika. They had been working hard every day with Suzuno and Emi in an effort to increase their magical potency. Chiho, much to everyone's surprise, could now move objects without touching them, though nothing particularly heavy, and more often than not, the object she moved dropped in midair, as if she had suddenly lost her concentration partway through casting the spell.

However, that didn't change the fact that they were humans from Japan, and that their lives could still go one as if nothing had happened if they went back before the battle. When Maou brought it up, everyone froze, looking between Rika, Chiho, and Maou.

"Wha- are you serious? NO! I'm _not_ leaving!" Chiho shouted.

Her cheeks were red, and she puffed them out, looking as though she were about to burst. She stood in a wide stance, with her hands upon her hips. Maou quailed before her large, angry, and tearful eyes. Somewhere along the way, Chiho had grown from a timid girl into such an outspoken, stubborn woman, that Maou felt she could give Emi a run for her money.

"Chiho-"

"NO! I won't leave! I have to help! All my friends are here-"

"Chi-"

"I don't care if I'm not a Hero, or a demon, or an angel! I won't be left behind! I won't!"

"CHIHO!"

The Demon King's shout cut clear through Chiho's outrage, silencing her. Maou smiled and held up his hands in surrender.

"It was just an offer. One last chance before we leave tomorrow. I'm not gonna make you leave if you don't want to. I promise."

"O-oh. Ok."

Chiho sat down, her face the color of a cherry as she stared into the fire. She'd been sure she would have to fight tooth and nail to win Maou's approval. She'd been waiting for someone to bring it up ever since she'd tackled Maou into the Gate with Rika. In the end, it seemed she needn't have been so defensive.

"Sorry, Maou," Chiho mumbled.

"It's nothing… I'm just worried about you is all. Do you… do you know what you want to do? I mean, as far as teams go, I'm not sure putting you on the offensive with no weapons is a good idea," Maou explained.

"She'll be with me, of course," Lailah announced, "as will Rika."

"W-with you? What will we be doing?" Chiho wondered.

Chiho had been there when they'd come up with the war plan, or part of it, but she'd been so preoccupied by the fact that everyone was leaving, and their subsequent shunning of her, that she'd forgotten most of it.

"One team will seek out Ignora," Lailah told her, "and the other will strike at Gabriel and the Tree of Life. Meanwhile, I intend to use the assault as a diversion to get into Sataniel's laboratory and recreate the Incident. If all goes as planned, we can sever the connection between the angels and the Sephiroth in one fell swoop."

"And if the plan should fail?" Alciel asked.

Several people glared at the Demon General, who simply shrugged off their anger and said, "They deserve to know the consequences. They are willing to risk their lives for this, after all."

"If we should fail… then we will undoubtedly we killed. Or used in experiments," Lailah added darkly.

"Oh, we'll definitely be used in twisted experiments if we survive," Urushihara chuckled, "mother dearest has years of research to complete. Any living specimens will probably be kept, just barely alive, until she's twisted us into something so horrible we won't know who or what we are."

"Sounds like a real nice lady," Rika muttered, looking dreadfully pale as she tried to keep her dinner down.

"Oh, you have no idea," the snarky fallen angel grinned.

Another tense moment passed before Rika fell forward, regurgitating her dinner. She moaned and wiped her mouth, heaving for a few moments. Ashiya was immediately at her side.

"Are you alright?"

"Rika?!"

"Are you ok?"

She waved off the concern, smiling as she hiccupped. "Just a little too much excitement. Not feeling well. I think I need to go lie down."

She looked meaningfully at Ashiya who frowned back until realization dawned on his face.

"I'll escort her to the cabin," he proclaimed, lifting her with unassuming ease and hauling her off to bed.

"Are you ok, Chi?" Emi asked quietly, laying a gentle hand on her arm.

The high schooler smiled and nodded, though there were tears in her eyes. She knew that abandoning her parents would be hard, but faced with the very real possibility of never seeing them again sent her mind into overdrive. They would be left in Japan to wonder what had happened to her, probably holding onto the thinnest sliver of hope that she'd be found. But she wouldn't. She would be dead, or worse, kept alive as some twisted angel's plaything.

"Fine," she whispered.

Emi laced her fingers through Chiho's and threw an arm over her shoulder. Within moments, she was crying, sobbing horribly as she tried to keep it together. Here she was, volunteering for a suicide mission, and crying like a baby in front of all of her friends. She hugged Emi tightly, and the Hero hugged her back. Chiho felt a drop on the back of her head, and Emi's ragged voice muttered in her ear.

"It'll be ok, Chi. I promise. It'll be ok."

The Hero was crying, too. Somehow, that made Chiho feel both better, and worse. Worse, because Emi was likely crying because of Chiho, but better, because if the Hero could cry, that meant it was ok for her to do it too, right?

"Hey… uh… Chiho? I- I wasn't trying to scare you," Urushihara said lamely, gently tapping the girl on her shoulder, "I was… well, that's the absolute worst case scenario. The chances of us actually surviving are, like, zero, so-"

Chiho sobbed harder. Urushihara was promptly conked over the head with a ladle and pulled back into his seat next to Suzuno, who frowned and brandished her cookware at him, as if to say ' _One more word and I will brain you._ '

"Suzunee," Alas-Ramus called from Nord's lap, "be nice tah Woocifah!"

"As you command," Suzuno muttered, nodding to the little girl with the silver tiara.

It took a moment, but soon Maou realized that this was it. It was the last night for him to tell Emi how he felt- how he _really_ felt. Sure, kissing was fine. Anyone could do that. He'd given her an inkling of his feelings already, but he had yet to tell her how he _truly_ felt… could he do it? Could he lay himself bare like that? It was one thing to imply and make jokes about them being together, but could he tell Emi how much he cared for her? Should he reveal that he thought of her every moment of every day? Or that he was so hopelessly in love with her that his mood could hinge on a kind word or gesture from her? Should he tell her how her merest whims pulled and pushed at him like the tides of an ocean?

Was it wise? Would it ruin what they had? Would she hate him? Would there be ramifications? What if she told someone?

There was so much to consider, so much to ponder, but it didn't change the fact that he had sworn to tell her. He'd made a solemn vow, an oath. She deserved to know. Even if she rejected him, hated him, or tried to kill him, what did it matter? His life was forfeit. Rejection meant that he would simply go ahead with his plans to save Ente Isla with his demise. It wouldn't change his feelings.

'I'm leaving,' Emi shouted as their future argument played out in his head, 'you can get to Heaven on your own!'

The Demon King froze. If Emi refused to open a Gate to Heaven, he would be responsible for the doom of the entire world. At one point, that had been his goal, to an extent. Now, however, he was more likely to end up crushed by Heaven's might, which threatened to engulf everything he held dear.

'I'll wait until we're there,' Maou decided. 'A quick sidebar is all I'll need. I can tell her before we split into teams. That way she'll be too busy fighting to think about it. And if we survive, who knows… anything could happen! It's perfect!'

"Haha!"

The Devil stood, tall and regal, as his diabolical plan was formulated. He trust out his loins and placed his hands on his hips. For a moment, he felt as though he were still wearing his royal robes, and that they were flapping majestically in a breeze.

"Sit down, idiot," Emi snapped in an undertone, still hugging Chiho to her chest as she cried.

"Oh… right, sorry."

Maou rounded the campfire and took Rika's seat, on Chiho's other side. He laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, doing his best to smile determinedly.

"We'll get through this, Chi," Maou promised, "Trust me. I'd never lie to you."

Chiho saw Maou's smile and tried to replicate it. She wiped her nose on her sleeve and sniffled before nodding. She choked out a laugh born of the bitter taste of desperation and despair before steeling herself and quietly leaving for the cabin, where she hoped to get some rest.

"You should all get some sleep," Maou said to those still sitting around the fire. "Something tells me we won't get another chance to rest."

"As you say, Good Sadao," Suzuno uttered, tugging on Urushihara's coat sleeve and leading him away from the fire.

Nord handed Alas-Ramus to Maou , and with Lailah and Acies-Ara in tow, he too left for the warmth of the cabin, leaving Maou, Emi, and a dozing Alas-Ramus by the fireside.

There was so much Maou wished he could say. There were things he needed to tell Emi, but due to circumstance, and an inability to properly express his feelings, so much would have to be left unsaid. Emi stood and held out her arms for her daughter, only to find that she had vanished, absorbed into Maou's mind. He raised an eyebrow and extended his own arms.

"Wanna hug?" he offered smugly.

"Sure."

He'd expected a snarky comeback, or an exasperated sigh and a roll of the eyes. Instead, Maou felt his sense of self leave him as he numbly stood and gave Emi a hug. It felt rather awkward and tense at first, but with each passing moment, the negative aspects vanished, and suddenly he found himself holding onto the Hero as tightly as he dared. He could feel the heat of her body through her coat, and she smelled wonderful, like summer and spring rolled into one, with a slight hint of pine trees.

He'd finally found it: someone he could truly lean on. Someone he could share it all with. Through that one, single hug, Maou tried desperately to convey all of the goodwill and love he held for his nemesis.

"Maou?" Emi asked, stunned by how tightly the Devil was holding her.

"Emi, you'll stay safe, right? You'll get everyone out alive, won't you?"

She pushed him away, and Emi found tears in the Demon King's eyes. She shook her head at him before wiping away his tears.

"We'll _all_ get out alive," Emi told him.

But even as she spoke, Maou was sure she was wrong. One way or another, he felt that he wouldn't survive whatever happened tomorrow.

"Yeah," he muttered lamely, "we'll definitely make it out… but, just in case- if anything happens, I want you to save Alas-Ramus and yourself…."

Emi frowned. She pulled Maou's chin upward, forcing him to meet her gaze. "I won't abandon you… or anyone else, for that matter. We'll all make it through this."

"You're right," the Demon King nodded. He felt as though a lead ball had just dropped into his stomach. If things did not go as planned, it seemed Maou would be unable to help Emi. They were on different strike teams… how was he supposed to protect her without being at her side?

When he finally returned to himself, he found Emi looking thoroughly mortified, and more than a little embarrassed. It reminded him of how she had appeared outside of his apartment, when she'd lost her wallet running from Lucifer, and had to spend the night at his place.

"Well… I guess… if things really don't work out… this'll be the last time we'll get to talk…"

Maou watched her twiddle her thumbs as she circled her point of conversation. It was so endearing, so adorable… he felt the urge to hug her again, but he restrained himself.

"Uh, Emi? Are you ok?"

"Fine… I need to… just in case… but if we survive…" she looked conflicted, like she was arguing with herself, and she was going back and forth with the speed of a professional tennis match.

"Spit it out, already," Maou smirked as Emi's face turned a delectable shade of scarlet.

She squirmed unpleasantly for a moment, as though preparing to do something disgusting. Finally, she leaned forward, grabbed Maou by the back of his head, and placed a kiss on his cheek.

"All that for a peck on the cheek," Maou asked, flabbergasted.

"It's for luck," Emi mumbled bashfully.

"Do I need to remind you of what we did just a few nights ago? Are we gonna go through all the bases now, after we skipped clear through most of them?"

"Shut up, Maou! Geez, you're so clueless!"

But Maou saw the Hero smile as she spun on her heel and traipsed away thoughtlessly, as if she had been stunned by her own actions.

"Good night," she called to him as she sauntered around the corner of the cabin.

Maou grinned and shook his head. "Yeah. Night, Emi."

Morning dawned, but the strike party was already awake. Sleep had been hard to come by, if not impossible to find. No amount of coffee could calm their nerves, and no normalcy could cure their fear of what was to come. Today was the day they stormed the Pearly Gates. It was also the day that they might lose their lives, though they tried not to think about that.

The morning came and went. The camp was packed away. The fire in the grate was snuffed out. All that remained was for everyone to go outside and walk through a Gate. It seemed like something so small, but it was also terrifying, like a monster in their path. That one, simple act had the potential to destroy everyone present.

No one moved. No one spoke. They simply sat together in absolute silence, occasionally sipping on a mug of coffee as the cabin grew colder with each passing minute.

Emi stood. Everyone turned to look at her. She was determined, majestic, even, but her standing could only mean one thing. It was time to go. They were positioned upon the precipice of change, and just by getting to her feet, Emi had commanded that they take the leap and meet their fates.

She led the way outside. Maou went behind her, and soon, everyone was congregated in front of the cabin.

"Arms at the ready," Emi muttered.

Crestia Bell pulled the hairclip from her head. It grew into her massive warhammer. She cast off her cloak, revealing her inquisition robes, which concealed her slim-fitting leather armor. With her hair down, and her church robes, she looked like a different person. 'Death Scythe' suddenly seemed a more fitting description for her.

Lucifer drew a katana, black as night, and twice as petrifying. He wore the coat he'd bought so long ago in a secondhand store. It looked eerily reminiscent of the coat he'd worn while serving as Archdemon. With his powers restored, he stood a bit taller, and seemed much more formidable.

Ashiya drew the sword he'd been commanded to carry by Maou. It glowed with a fell emerald energy, and his amber eyes seemed to shine like headlights.

Nord extended a hand, and a holy sword appeared therein. Acies-Ara's voice seemed to resonate from the glowing violet gem in the guard, "Ready for action!"

Emi drew Better Half, otherwise known as One Wing. Her eyes and hair changed color, and armor appeared over her clothes. The sword, having been regaining power over several days, was now large, and far too heavy for a normal human. Emi, of course, swung it around as if it weighed no more than a switch.

In lieu of a weapon, Maou pulled the Crown of Sataniel from his pocket. With a light touch, he set the crown atop his head. Power coursed through him. He heard whispers in his ears; complex formulae, forgotten secrets, and all other manner of lost knowledge pressed itself against Maou, as if urging him to use its power. If only he'd had the time, he'd wager that the secrets it contained merited decades of study… now, however, it was little more than a battery for him.

"I think we are ready," Lailah said, pushing her dark hair back behind her ear.

"Alright…here goes nothing," Emi breathed.

She extended her arm, and the holy sword pierced the air. She charged the blade with celestial force. White hot flames rolled down the blade, and Emi cut a slow, deliberate circle in midair. A glowing white line traced the blade's path, until a white oval hung in the air. Emi withdrew her blade and pressed it into the center of the oval. She struggled a bit, as though she were pushing through something more substantial, but the sword slid home. She twisted the hilt, and the sound of a lock being turned was loud as the oval filled with a soft white glow.

Celestial force poured through the opening. There was no intermediate space, no in-between. Somehow, the holy sword seemed to cut a hole straight into Heaven. Maou wondered if Emi had even needed the training he had imparted.

A shout rose from behind Maou. He turned to find Ashiya on the ground, doubled over in pain, groaning as he shielded his eyes from the white light, as though it were a blinding sun. Urushihara and Lailah both shook, their faces lax as they stared at the light. Maou, who was closer, suddenly realized that the celestial force was quickly overpowering them.

"What the- are you guys ok?"

Maou went to Ashiya, who was still on the ground, writhing in agony. Urushihara and Lailah were both paralyzed- was it Maou's imagination, or was their hair changing color? And why the hell wasn't he affected?

'The Crown,' Maou thought. 'It's protecting me… but how can I protect them?'

"Dammit," Lailah muttered. "So busy… looking forward to going back… forgot to account for… celestial force…"

"I'm on it," Emi said quickly.

The Hero went to Ashiya, raising a ward that shielded him from the ravages of the celestial force. By the time Emi had finished, however-

"Dammit," Urushihara shouted, "dammit, dammit, dammit!"

"Y-your hair," Suzuno muttered, pointing at Lucifer's head, "it's… it's…"

"White," Maou noted.

Urushihara's hair, which was usually violet, just like his eyes, was now so white that it was definitely not natural. Not even a blonde who bleached their hair every day could achieve the stark blinding white that had graced Urushihara. His eyes were still purple, but other than that, Maou guessed that he looked just as he had during his time commanding Heaven's legions. Lailah, too, had regained her silvery hair, though her eyes remained dark. She spread her ivory wings, and they were huge, as though her full angelic power were restored from just a few moments near the Gate to Heaven.

"This will certainly level the playing field," Lailah grinned.

"Maou, can we go back to Japan? I need some purple hair dye, like, stat," Urushihara griped.

"We are literally going through the Gate right now- our lives could be lost… and you want to go dye your hair?!" Maou asked incredulously.

"There's simply nothing for it," Ashiya muttered. He looked a little green in the face, but that didn't stop him from lifting Lucifer by his scruff and punting him through the Gate. Ashiya followed after him immediately, intent on keeping him from trying to return.

"Well… I guess… let's go," Emi muttered.

She followed after Ashiya. Her silhouette faded as she, too, was engulfed by the light. Lailah wove her arm through her husband's, and together, they stepped through the Gate as well. Chiho and Rika stepped forward hesitantly, but Maou threw out an arm to block their path.

"One last chance," he said.

Chiho pouted for a moment before smiling. Standing on her tiptoes, she quickly gave Maou a kiss on his cheek, the same one that Emi had kissed the night before.

"There's no way I'm backing out now," she said happily, vanishing into the Gate before Maou could respond.

Rika stood, open mouthed, looking back and forth between the stunned Demon Lord, and the Gate that Chiho had just escaped into.

"H-hey, wait up, Chi!"

Rika hurried after her friend, leaving Maou to bring up the rear once again. He looked behind him, but no one was waiting to tackle him into the Gate this time. Maou adjusted the crown on his head. With a straight back, and a royal swagger, he made his way into the blinding white light, following his friends.

And with that, the Devil came upon Heaven as a harbinger of the end. And all hell followed with him.

Heaven.

That single word alone brought visions of white marble terraces and palaces, and roads of glimmering gold to the minds of all who entered the Celestial Gate. They thought of sprawling gardens, fluffy clouds that glowed from within, and a pair of great golden gates.

Little did they know, things would not be quite so spectacular.

"Uh… this is Heaven?" Rika asked.

All around them, there was a massive blank slate. The sky above was laced with thick clouds. The terrain was flat, with a few craters here and there. Other than a a few small scars in the land, the greyish dust beneath their feet seemed to stretch on forever in all directions.

"This looks more like a moon landing," Chiho noted quietly, trying not to break the silence that pressed inward from all sides.

"It is," Urushihara said. "We're on the blue moon. This is the homeworld of the angels."

"So then where's Heaven?" Emi wondered.

The Hero cursed her idiotic whims. She's been about to open a gate, just as Maou had instructed, when something told her to use Better Half. It was almost as if she'd gone into a trance. Something about it just felt right… and now Heaven was nowhere to be seen. Clearly the gut instinct that told her to slice a hole into Heaven wasn't all that trustworthy.

"It's right above your head, darling," Lailah pointed.

Everyone looked to the sky, and as one, their jaws fell agape.

Nestled in the clouds above them, floating in midair, was Heaven. The sun was bright as it shone through the clouds, spearing through lofty towers, reflecting off of polished marble floors, and giving everyone on the ground a grandiose view of the place. For a moment, it looked like a renaissance painting, except without all the weirdly muscular naked people.

"It's amazing!" Chiho said jovially, her fear of the mission forgotten.

"Wow," Nord muttered, grinning as he thought about how far he'd come since he was a wheat farmer.

"Aaaaand, there it is," Urushihara smirked. "I was wondering how long it would take for them to find us."

"What are-" Maou froze mid-sentence. He followed Urushihara's gaze, and immediately spotted three figures. Each one was a dot, slowly moving up and down, and growing larger with every passing second. He saw three pairs of great white wings, three pairs of purple eyes, and three tall, strong angels in togas. Each carried a sword at their hip and a bow slung over their shoulder.

"Were they expecting us?" Lailah asked incredulously, looking fearful.

"Nah, they probably just sensed something when we appeared… they'll figure out who we are soon, though." Urushihara said, slinging his sword over his shoulder.

"I'm not sure I'm up for a fight," Nord groaned, looking slightly green in the face. He let loose another choked cough. Apparently, he hadn't fully recovered.

"I'm not feeling that great either," Rika said, holding her gut and clapping a hand to her mouth as she fought the urge to vomit.

"That makes three of us," Emi moaned, her voice cracking. Her throat was parched, and her nose was quickly filling with mucus… how was she supposed to fight when she still felt like crap?

Maou pushed by his allies, coming between them and the angels that were quickly descending upon them. He opened and closed his hands, trilling with excitement at the prospect of testing himself, and the limits of the Crown on his head, which made him feel invincible.

"I'll take care of this," Maou said.

The angels touched down not twenty feet from the strike party. From their stern gaze, they obviously knew something was amiss with the trespassers.

"Announce yourselves, intruders," spoke the angel in the middle. He had shoulder length silver hair, and he was incredibly toned and well sculpted. His jawline was pronounced, and his nose and chin were sharp. He had a high forehead, and his limbs were so muscular that he probably only left the gym when it was absolutely necessary.

"Demon King Satan Jacob," Maou grinned evilly, his red eyes flaring brightly, "and these are my associates… I'll tell you their names if survive my first attack!"

The Demon King savored the shock on the buff angel's face. It was good enough to eat, and Maou did just that, draining it away like it was water, and he was dying of thirst.

"Here I come," Maou cried, vanishing and reappearing in the center of the trio of angels, all of whom gasped and reached for their swords.

The Devil was about to blow them away with a blast like a nuclear explosion when Lucifer barked, "Stop!"

Maou froze. Too late, he realized his guard was down. He dove to the side and rolled away before any of the angels had a chance to attack. He whirled about, ready to re-engage the enemy when his arms fell limp at his side. The three angels were frozen where they stood. They were not covered in ice, but they might as well have been. They did not move. Their eyes remained fixed where they were.

"What the-" Maou began.

Lucifer stepped forward and patted the lead angel on the cheek.

"You boys know when to obey your betters… that's good. If we lose today, I think I'll recommend you for a promotion. Until then, stay here and don't move a single god-damned muscle."

Urushihara gave the angel's cheek another pat, harder than the last one, before the cocky smile fell from his face. He tucked his hands into his pockets, as he often did when he was stressed, and surveyed the faces of the angels more closely, looking sad and reminiscent.

"M-mister Urushihara? What did you do to those angels?" Chiho asked. Her voice was filled with poorly disguised fear, and she cowed behind Emi, who looked nonplussed.

"Lucifer is the Morningstar," Suzuno explained. "While he was an Archangel, he commanded Heaven's army. None were higher than the Lightbringer. As such, he still retains that command."

"It's not effective on other archangels," Lucifer sighed, "but it still works on the rest of them… and their expressions are always the same."

That's when Maou noticed it: the slightest twitch in the lead angel's eye. A shaky muscle in another angel's leg. An unintended glance from the other. They were not frozen by magic. They were following orders. Their faces were still painted in surprise and fear, as though they were terrified of Lucifer.

"It's the first law of the angels," Lailah added quietly, "'You must always obey your superiors.'"

Lucifer took one last look at the frightened faces of the frozen angels before turning away and taking up the recitation, "'And you are never to question their edicts, unless you would dare to question the word of the Lord and Savior… Amen.'"

Lailah took two swords from the belts the angels wore and gave one to Rika, who studied the flawless blade timidly. She also grabbed a bow and handed it to Chiho, who marveled at the craftsmanship. It was a fine bow of polished silver. The limbs were made of a strange white material that might've been ivory, or some type of wood that didn't exist on Earth. The bowstring was silver as well, with a blue sapphire placed right where one would nock an arrow. The stone was the size and shape of a marble, and it caught Chiho's eye with a spectacular glow.

"Um… Lailah? I don't have any arrows," Chiho said.

"These longbows do not shoot arrows, dear. They fire compressed bolts of celestial force, drawn from the environment around the wielder. You will never run out of arrows," the fallen angel said, smiling kindly at Chiho's confusion.

"Oh," Chiho looked down at the bow again. She'd always hated having to recover her arrows… now she could fire to her hearts content! And she'd never have to pay to replace broken arrows ever again!

"On Earth, the bow would likely draw directly from the nearest source of magic… which would be you. It would be unwise for you to use it without proper training and testing your limits. That said, I'm sure we can practice together sometime. I'm quite the archer, myself," Lailah said smugly.

Chiho nodded. She looked much more pleased with her weapon than Rika, who was still holding the sword as though it were something disgusting, like a giant slug.

"I don't really know how to use a sword," Rika muttered, "what if I hurt somebody?"

"Just make sure whoever you hurt is an enemy, and you should be fine," Emi said, clapping Rika on the back and almost causing her to drop the blade.

With their first obstacle cleared, Urushihara was able to teleport everyone into the floating city using the inordinate amount of celestial force he'd regained. As soon as the war party appeared on the glowing golden flagstones, however, they knew something was amiss.

"Where is everyone?" Emi asked.

The streets of Heaven were empty and devoid of life. No noise was heard, save the crackling of golden angel fire in shining silver braziers.

They had teleported into a large square, with tall buildings on all sides. All the windows and doorways were dark and empty. A large thoroughfare cut a path through the square, leading up to an enormous citadel at the very precipice of the city. A silver statue was displayed in the center of the square, showcasing a large, powerful archangel with a drawn sword. Little chubby baby angels played around him, tugging at his tunic as they beamed up at him with reverence.

'Papa,' Alas-Ramus asked quietly within the confines of Maou's mind, 'what we doin' hewe?'

'We're gonna make sure no one comes to try and take you away,' Maou thought.

'You won't let them take me?'

'Never.'

Alas-Ramus relaxed, going into a restful state within Maou's head as he summoned her power and manifested a sword. It almost looked like Emi's, though it seemed a bit different, much to the Hero's dismay.

"Son of a… it's huge," Emi whispered.

Chiho blushed, once more thinking that Emi was envious of her breast size. The Hero had never exactly been discreet about her jealousy, and Chiho had learned to take it as a compliment… but just how long was Emi going to be bitter over such a trivial matter? That was when Chiho followed Emi's gaze to Maou, who held a sword that was extraordinarily similar to Emi's.

The blade was large, at least as large as Better Half, but as it was touched with the power of the Demon King, which was amplified by the crown on Maou's head, it seemed even more fearsome. What was a beautiful Holy Sword in Emi's hand was sharper and jagged in the hands of the Demon King. The glowing gem on the guard shone with the same malign power that seemed to burned in Lucifer's eye, as if the power of the Yesod acted as a catalyst for holy and demonic magic.

"This isn't fair," Emi scowled, "I'm the Hero! How come your sword is bigger than mine?"

"I'm the Demon King," Maou said simply, smirking to himself.

Emi continued to grumble. She had no clue of the depths of Maou's response, however. As a Demon King, he had trained mercilessly to become the embodiment of demonic power and ferocity. Not using the Crown of Sataniel, he'd held the world in the palm of his hands. With his new experiences working at MgRonalds, and equipped with Alas-Ramus and Royal Artifact No. 13, his power could hardly be fathomed… and yet he still worried as to the outcome of the battles before him.

"Which way do we go, Lucifer?" Maou asked, his fell gaze sweeping imperiously over the courtyard.

"Gee whiz, man, maybe in the direction of the enormous fucking castle that you literally cannot miss?" Urushihara countered sourly, gesturing toward the palace.

"I was just checking," Maou sighed, shaking his head as he turned away from the statue in the center of the yard and led the way up the street, which wound its way between sprawling white villas and glorious marble pillars inlaid with gold and ivory.

As they went, the group kept a sharp ear out for any signs of attack, but none came. They strained their ears for any signs of life, but there were none. Silence seemed to cover the entire city like a blanket. Even in the distance, where one might pick up the normal humdrum buzz of activity, all was quiet.

"They _were_ ready for us," Lailah said.

"What do you think would've caused this," Maou wondered, turning his head from side to side as he peered down countless empty side streets, each filled with shadows that put him on edge.

"Martial law," Urusihara muttered. "Lesser angels have been evacuated. All that's left are the guards and highly ranked officials."

"So, only people worth fighting," Emi surmised with a shrug.

"Uh huh, something like that."

As they slowly made their way up the large thoroughfare, the group took the time to admire the abundant wealth and luxurious layout of the city. The roads were wide, with stone blocks laid so perfectly even that one barely needed to take heed of their steps. There was a wide assortment of thin alleys and streets coming off of the main stretch, and they seemed to zig-zag off into other parts of the massive airborne structure. The solid marble construction and centralized location of the citadel reminded Maou of the Earthen phrase 'All roads lead to Rome,' for no matter where he looked, there were always parallel pathways leading towards the palace.

"The laboratories are at the top of that tower," Lailah said, gesturing to a very tall, wide tower that was reminiscent of a modern Japanese skyscraper, looming high over the fortress, "the Tree and it's Sephiroth will be in the lower levels."

Maou nodded, not really paying much attention to Lailah's words. He was more concerned with how Emi's hair swayed as she walked. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth… He felt as though he could watch it all day. His contemplation of the Hero and her marvelous magenta hair was interrupted when he felt something sharp hit his ribcage.

"Ahem," Urushihara cleared his throat. He was looking quite pointedly at Maou, a single eyebrow raised.

Maou blushed, suddenly aware of how obvious his staring would be to the casual observer. He huffed and pouted, chin in the air as he walked faster so as to outstrip Emi. She threw him a quizzical look, but then smirked and shook her head. She wasn't about to point out his need to always go first.

The streets widened further, creating an enormous avenue as several other paths melded into their own. Before them, great gates of solid gold barred the palace, which was otherwise surrounded by a two story wall.

The gates, much like Maou's crown, were made of a polished gold so bright that they almost glowed. Still, no one was about. Nothing moved to intercept the war party. So far, Heaven had been a huge letdown for everyone.

"The Pearly Gates?" Rika asked.

"The Gates of Saint Peter," Suzuno muttered, clasping her hands as her lips moved in silent prayer.

"Where in the hell is that old man," Lucifer asked, spitting on the golden road and grinding it with his heel, like one would a cigarette.

Lailah couldn't help but notice the sour tone Urushihara used when speaking of the old saint, and she said, "Saint Peter was relieved of duty some time ago. Ignora relies on her personal force for protection nowadays."

"Go figure. That old man was a pasty bag of bitter wind… I think that's why we got along so well. You should've heard the dirty limericks he learned from a demon trying to bribe his way into Heaven," Lucifer snorted.

"Dirty limericks," Maou said distractedly, once more enamored by the Hero, and her luscious lips, "yeah, I love those things."

"Well, it went something like 'There once was a woman from Que, who filled her-'"

Urushihara was stopped in his recitation by Suzuno, who drew her ladle. This caused the fallen angel to turn white and leap backward, so as to stay out of reach of the Bailiff of the Inquisition.

"We've no time for your perverse rhymes, Morningstar," Suzuno muttered threateningly.

"Well, I suppose we should just… go in?" Maou suggested casually.

Had Emi not been right beside Maou when he made to open the Pearly Gates, the Devil might've spontaneously combusted on the spot.

He strode forward confidently, straightening his crown. He held out an arm, ready to keep walking as he pushed the gate open. His fingers were moments away from the celestial gold when Emi's eyes shot wide.

"Maou, don't!" Emi cried.

He froze, his fingertips millimeters away from the glowing metal when he heard it: a faint crackling buzz, like an old streetlight. The metal flashed. Maou felt searing heat beat against his hand, and before he could be engulfed in an inferno, Emi had tackled him sideways.

They lay together, shivering for a moment. Emi had knocked the wind out of Maou with her ferocious tackle, and she was so jarred by the adrenaline that she clutched Maou tightly, even after they were out of harm's way.

"Whoops, guess I forgot about the defenses. Sorry, Maou." Urushihara muttered, itching the back of his head as everyone glared at him.

"Are-are you ok?" Emi stammered.

Maou could feel her breath against his face, and the heat of her body pressed against his. It took him back to the night they'd spent together, where Maou had truly witnessed Heaven's splendor in the form of Emi's body.

"Fine," Maou muttered, his eyes boring into hers.

Emi realized their prolonged embrace and pushed herself up before offering a hand to the Devil. He took it, and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. To relieve the tension and awkwardness, Maou turned to face the gate with a frown.

"Well, how the hell are we supposed to get past this thing?!" he asked angrily.

Lailah strode towards the gate and prodded it with a single finger. Her entire form glowed, and the Gate took on a shine as though pure sunlight had beamed down on it through the clouds. With the ringing of bells, the Gates of Saint Peter swung open.

"I don't see any guards," Urushihara muttered, "which means-"

"The way forward is clear," Lailah summated. "We must hurry, into the citadel."


	39. The Devil and the Hero: First Assault

The palace itself was enormous. Maou was perplexed at the budget that must've gone into its construction. Everything that was made of metal was either gold, platinum, or silver. Great statues lined the hallways. The floor was perfectly polished, without even a speck of dust. With all of its flawless grace and grand design, the Devil couldn't have been more unnerved. Where were the rats that usually festered castles? Where were the insects that died on the floor? Why were none of the great statues tarnished and faded?

He knew the answer, of course. Magic. The power of the Sephiroth and the Tree of Life were bound to the place. It radiated from the pristine marble walls and coated Maou's tongue with a bitter taste. Heaven would use copious amounts of the most powerful eldritch magic to keep their castles clean, while they slowly but surely drained an entire world of its power. Only when the rats infested their great city, and the gold began to fade, and their vain perfection was compromised would they finally pick up and leave to find a new source of power to enslave and control.

"This is it!" Urushihara said, looking quite nervous.

The Demon King had been so preoccupied with his silent contemplations that he hasn't noticed that they had arrived before a pair of golden doors. Wait, no, they weren't doors.

"Elevators?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"One will take us up, to the tower and the laboratories. The other should get you to the Sanctorum Lignum Vitae," Nord said quietly.

"The what, now?"

"The Sanctum of the Tree of Life," Urushihara explained to Maou, crossing his arms, "where the Tree is located."

"Yeah, I got it the second time, idiot," Maou growled.

Urushihara glared, but he said nothing. Ashiya and Suzuno met each other's gaze, and carefully positioned themselves behind both Maou and Urushihara. Suzuno drew her ladle. Ashiya drew his sword. Both Maou and Urushihara, smirked, seeing that their rival was about to be struck. With one fell blow, Ashiya and Suzuno fell upon their prey. Ashiya, in his wisdom, turned the blade so that the flat struck his liege. Urushihara, on the other hand, got the full force of Suzuno's powerful strike.

"OW!" Maou cried, rubbing the top of his head as his eyes watered.

"Fuck!" Urushihara cussed, earning himself another small strike from the inquisitor.

As one, Suzuno and Ashiya spun around their charges and began to verbally berate them, and express their disgust at the lack of comradery.

"He may be a pain in the ass, sire, but he is your general! You chose him! Friends or not, he deserves to be treated with some level of respect! Without his assistance, we would not have made it this far!"

"The Devil is not just your master! He is your ally! When it comes right down to it, this is war, and you cannot start alienating yourself from your allies! Even if you hate each other, your lives will soon be in each other's hands!"

"But he's just such an asshole!" Maou and Lucifer cried in unison.

"I don't care, now turn around and apologize!" Suzuno and Ashiya retaliated, spinning around the sour grapes and forcing them to face one another.

For the smallest of moments, Maou's eyes met Urushihara's. The shorter demon quickly looked to the floor, embarrassed. Maou smiled. Urushihara had never been the most sociable. Even during the war on Ente Isla, if he wasn't saying something snarky during a war council, he was likely ignoring everyone else, off in his own little world. Hell, it may have even been the cause of his defeat. Perhaps he just sort of zoned out when Maou had told him to raze the Western Continent in search of the Hero.

"I'm sorry," Urushihara uttered, still not meeting Maou's stare.

It was hard for Maou to admit, but at one point, he'd been terrified of Lucifer. He hadn't shown it, with his pride as the future King of Demons on the line, but Lucifer had been unlike any other demon he'd faced. He was a myth of sorts, always there on the edge of demon society. An outcast, much like Maou, but so very different. He was fair, and looked like a human, save his massive black wings and terrifying amethyst glare. Looking at him now, with his white hair and his white wings, Maou felt as though he were almost looking at a different person. Urushihara's bashfulness, however, was nothing new.

"I'm sorry, too," Maou sighed.

Urushihara held out a fist. Maou bumped it with his own before itching the back of his head and smiling.

"Good, now that everyone's finished making up, we can get on with our insanely dangerous suicide mission," Emi said with mock cheeriness, her eyes flicking back and forth down the long, empty corridors on all sides.

'Papa,' Alas-Ramus mumbled within Maou's mind, clearly having just woken up, 'what's a suicide mission?'

Maou's stomach sank to somewhere around his knees as his eye twitched. His mind worked furiously, until he finally decided to just lie.

"Uh- a suicide mission? It's-uh- like a party! A birthday party-"

Ashiya turned to his leigelord, pain etched into his face.

"It seems my lord has finally lost it and gone off the deep end," Ashiya sighed as he shook his head.

"Maou, what are you-" Emi began.

"Shut up," Maou hissed, turning away from everyone as he wove himself deeper and deeper into a tangled web of lies.

'So why does a suicide mission make papa so sad?' Alas-Ramus wondered, able to see the Demon King's emotions from her vantage point within his mind.

"Because it… it means that things are gonna change," he muttered.

Using his superior intellect, Maou willed the toddler in his head to go droopy eyed. Alas-Ramus' consciousness faded as she fell asleep once more, but before she did she said, 'Ok. Love you, papa.'

"I love you too, Alas. Sleep well."

The King of Demons turned to frown at Emi, who was standing stock still, her weapon frozen at her side as she realized what she'd done.

"She heard you," Maou said quietly.

"I'm sorry," Emi apologized, "I didn't know she was awake!"

"Neither did I."

DING.

The sound of an elevator arriving made everyone jump, and Maou suddenly realized that this was where he and Emi parted ways. It was his last chance to make good on his vow.

Sweat beaded his brow as Lailah, Chiho, and Rika all moved towards one elevator while Urushihara and Ashiya made to enter another. Emi, Nord, and Suzuno would remain on the ground floor, where they would make for the throne room. Maou opened his mouth to speak, but no noise came out. Suddenly, he found that his tongue was dry. His palms grew sweaty as he quickly clenched and unclenched his hands. He tried his utmost to avoid it, but he couldn't stop thinking that he had reached the end of the line.

"Uh… Emi?"

The Hero turned to face him. She was obviously preoccupied, and looked as though she had very little thought to spare for the Demon King. It wasn't necessarily a rude gesture, but it still felt as though someone had socked Maou in the gut. There was no turning back, now.

"Yeah?" she asked, noting his blank expression, and the way he avoided looking her in the eye.

"Could… could I talk to you quick? Alone?"

The Devil gave Emi a fleeting look. Was he hiding something? And why was he so damned nervous all of a sudden? He'd been cool as a cucumber when he'd nearly been killed by the Pearly Gates not thirty minutes ago…

"Right now?" Emi asked, raising an eyebrow. She watched as everyone formed their respective groups, waiting as Emi and Maou stood off to one side.

Maou frowned. Clearly, as the Hero, she had to make everything as difficult as she possibly could for him.

"It'll only take a moment," Maou reasoned, using his frustrations to ward off his nervousness.

Emi sighed. "Fine. Make it quick."

Without further ado, the Demon King took the Hero by the wrist and frog-marched her down the hall. He turned at the first corner, which was well out of earshot of the others. They stood in another long, white-washed hall. It was a dead end, and Maou didn't see anyone nearby. Again, he opened his mouth to speak… but no sound came out.

"Don't just stand there all slack-jawed," Emi commanded, earning a reproachful glare from Maou.

"Why not? Does it bother you?" Maou asked quickly, his temper flaring as Emi cut through his thought process, and ruined the speech he had planned.

"Your breath smells," Emi noted, "is there anything else you need, or can I go?"

"Emi, if I didn't love you so god damn much I'd tell you that your breath isn't any better," Maou sighed.

"W-what?"

Emi took a step back. She felt her entire body thrum with energy at Maou's words. He stepped closer, she stepped back. Her heel hit the wall, and before she could stop him, the Demon King had her pinned against it. He leaned in close, his red eyes flaring, an evil grin playing upon his lips.

"I said… I love you. And you have coffee breath," Maou muttered seductively in her ear.

With his demonic senses at full capacity, Maou felt more alive than ever as Emi's body responded to his proximity. She shivered as he drew close, and goosebumps rose on her arms when he'd cornered her against the wall. Sweat dotted her brow, and her heart beat was out of control. One moment it was so faint Maou could barely hear it, the next it was like a stampede of buffalo on a tin roof.

Maou grinned. "Heh."

"What the hell is so funny?" Emi asked, blushing furiously.

"All of this," Maou murmured. "Isn't it hilarious, Emi? The Devil, in love with his mortal enemy?"

"You don't love me," she said. "You're just trying to fuck me again, aren't you? A quickie before we die… that's all you want, isn't it?"

As quickly as Emi's anger could flare up, Maou had stolen it away. She was left red faced and powerless before the Demon King before her, and she could feel no anger.

"No… I do love you. Honestly. If I'm right, I won't be walking away from this fight, so I figured I had nothing left to lose by telling you."

The Hero frowned and rubbed her knees together for a moment before standing up straight and meeting the Demon King's eye. As he spoke, he betrayed no signs of lying. His eyes remained fixed upon hers, as though he were staring into the infinity within them.

'He… he's telling the truth,' Emi realized, her world turning on its head.

As they stared at each other, Maou knew he needed to make a move, but what should he do? Should he hold her? Should he kiss her? Her heartrate was through the roof. If he tried anything too risky, she just might remember she was holding Better Half and stab him. In the end, he leaned forward, and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. For a moment, Emi looked as though he had stolen her brain with that kiss, as her eyes became unfixed, and her expression vacant. By the time she regained her focus, Maou had already turned away from her.

"Live well, Hero." Maou muttered, leaving her frozen in that small dead end hallway, her eyes filled with emotion. Somehow, it didn't feel real to her. The Demon King had just confessed his love for Emilia the Hero, and all she could do was bite her lip and grind her heel into the floor.

She ran her tongue over her dry lips, and tried her best to stifle the small smile that Maou's profession had created. With her head held high and a masterfully crafted scowl, Emi retraced her steps back out into the main corridor, though she couldn't shake the strange giddy feeling that awoke in her whenever she looked at the Demon King, nor could she stay very focused. Maou turned and gave her a side-glance and a small smile, causing her to blush and turn away, her mouth pulled into an unwilling smile.

With Ashiya, Urushihara, and Maou in one elevator, and Lailah, Rika, and Chiho in the other, Emi watched as the golden doors slid shut. There were no goodbyes. There was no sadness. Only a grim sense of duty. Of course, Emi felt none of it. Her mind was rather preoccupied with other thoughts.

'Stupid, sexy Demon King,' Emi thought, lowering her gaze as she heard one elevator go up, and the other trundle down.

"This is it," Suzuno said.

"Let's go," Nord pushed his spectacles farther up his nose and peered up and down the corridor, "we have no time to waste. The throne room is this way."

"How do you know," Suzuno asked, staring with surprise at Nord.

In response, Nord jerked his thumb to the side. On the wall was a large plaque, like one might find in a hotel lobby. In glowing golden script, the layout of the palace was explained in great detail. Emi made her way over to peer at the blueprints. There were gymnasiums, courtyards, gardens, bathing pools, armories, and dining halls, but the largest room, by far, was the throne room, which encompassed the entire back section of the palace.

"Of course there's a map," Emi muttered to herself, "how silly of me to think there wouldn't be one."

Down at the far end of the corridor, a pair of magnificent double doors burst open. Several angels walked through it, looking quite unconcerned about the intruders. The man in the lead was speaking quite quickly in Ente Islan. He wore flowing white robes trimmed with gold, and looked less like a soldier and more like a man of leisure. At his heel were two underlings, dressed similarly to the first, and two armed guardian angels in silver armor and togas.

"Absolutely critical that we head them off," the angel in the lead stated hurriedly, his wings jittering as he half ran.

"Sir! Look there! They've breached the gates! They're already here!" One of the underlings cried, dropping his clipboard and pointing at Emi, Nord, and Suzuno.

"Nathaniel! Ramiel!" the elder angel called, snapping his fingers and gesturing for the guards to step forward.

They moved forward slowly, resting on their haunches with their shields raised and their swords bristling out from over them. Their eyes glowed violet from under their silver helmets.

"Kill the intruders," the lead angel barked.

Emi held out an arm to keep Nord and Suzuno back before she stepped forward. She bore no shield. Her armor glinted more brightly as she stood with her sword at her side, looking between the angels with a twinkle in her eyes.

"You there, old man, do you know where Ignora can be found?" Emi asked.

The angel surveyed Emi from behind his guards, looking as though she were a distasteful outcome of a failed experiment. Something told Emi he wore that scowl quite often when he watched his underlings work.

"You are trespassing in the halls of the almighty," one of the guards said loudly, raising his sword, which burned with angel fire.

The other held aloft his own sword, which crackled and arced with lightning, "Submit now, and you may yet be spared!"

"I'd put those swords away if I were you," Emi smirked.

"For Ignora!" the guards cried in unison.

Normally, with two super powered beings using a classic distract and flank strategy, one would think victory would be assured, much as the elder angel did as he watched his guards close with the strangely powerful human girl before him. Unfortunately, he forgot to take into account the fact that she was the Hero.

Nathaniel was upon Emi in a moment's notice. Her sword was still at her side, and the small smile on her face twitched, as though she'd thought of a joke and was trying not to laugh. How could she be so carefree? She was about to die!

'Something's not right,' Nathaniel thought, 'she's far too powerful to be a normal human…'

Nevertheless, he brought his sword down in the name of the Lady Ignora. He slashed diagonally, making to rend her chest plate in two and eviscerate her. Before the blade could strike, however, the flames on his blade went out. Celestial force more powerful than anything he'd ever felt poured from the mysterious woman as her hair turned white and her eyes turned red.

"An angel?!"

"Not on your life, buddy."

Nathaniel was cut off by an explosion of holy fire, which blasted him across the hall and smashed him against the marble, smearing the pristine white with soot and ash from burning feathers.

The angel called Ramiel was already positioned behind Emi, his sword levelled as he aimed for a weak spot in her armor, a seam on her hip where the cuirass offered no protection. His sword sparked with electricity, and he gulped before stabbing at the seam with all of his strength.

Emi paused. She was sure there had been two angels… so where had the other one-

"AHHHH," Emi yelped indignantly, looking scandalized as she felt a sharp jolt of electricity her just below her hip. A loud crack rent the silence. Emi turned to look behind her, only to find a kneeling angel. The shattered blade of his sword was strewn about the ground, like shards of a broken mirror.

"What the hell-" Ramiel muttered, clutching his broken and mangled hand.

"What the hell?!" Emi asked loudly, clenching her own fist and backhanding the perverted angel with her armored hand.

"My apologies, Emi," Suzuno said, tapping the Hero on the shoulder and causing her to jump, "but you were distracted, and he looked as though he were about to stab you. I suppose your armor saved you any grievous injury, for I only managed to break his sword after you cried out."

Emi looked down at her raiment, which was as clean and perfect as the day it was forged. There was no blood. She felt no pain, aside from a strange numbness that had arced through her nerves when the lightning struck. Her armor, supercharged as it was by the celestial force of Heaven, was likely shielding her from most forms of harm.

As Emi inspected her armor, the elder angel and his remaining subordinates slowly made for the doors, treading lightly so as not to attract the wrath of the woman who'd just taken down two elite guardian angels. They were almost to the great double doors when they boomed closed. Standing before them was a man in a dapper suit with long red hair and spectacles.

"Not so fast," Nord said, "we could use your help, see? We're looking for Ignora."

* * *

The Demon King's war on Heaven was going splendidly.

After arriving in a dark, eerie tunnel system that was extremely well guarded, the three demons were completely surrounded by large, powerful angels. All were equipped with weapons that glowed in the dimness. There must have been a hundred strong, and all were incredibly well trained, with sharp, keen eyes and practiced battle stances. The Demon King and his Archdemons remained undaunted, however.

"I am Satan Jacob," Maou called over the silent crowd of hostile angels, "King of Demons, and Master of the Demon Army. You are up against an evil you cannot fathom-"

"Erm, King Satan?" Alciel asked suddenly, raising a hand.

Maou stopped mid-monologue, turning to scowl at his right hand man.

"What is it, Alciel? Can't you see I'm busy sowing the seeds of terror amongst the enemy?" Maou hissed.

"Well, it's just that we're actually doing something good, aren't we? So, can we truly be called a force of evil, even though we are acting for the betterment of the world?" Ashiya wondered, scratching at his chin with a long black talon.

Maou face palmed and said, "Dude! Now is not the time for an existential crisis!"

Without even realizing it, Maou and Ashiya, whom had been conversing in Ente Islan, had somehow slipped right back into Japanese, leaving the angels around them clueless.

"Maou has a point, does it really matter?" Urushihara asked.

"It most certainly does! If we are not evil, then how can we call ourselves demons? Better to say we are morally dubious, for it is the truth!"

Before Ashiya could slander their cause more, Maou had him by the collar. "Morally dubious? Listen well, Ashiya, we are evil incarnate! Just because we act for the preservation of the world doesn't mean we are anything less than the powerful demons that we were when we left Ente Isla! The nature of the world is balance! Without good, there is no evil, and vice versa! In the act of preserving the world, we preserve that balance, so that evil may yet flourish, rather than be eradicated entirely by Heaven! We are preserving the legacy of evilness so that it will survive for eons!"

Ashiya flicked away tears of joy as Maou released him.

"M'lord, you are truly inspirational! You have given this much thought!"

"Indeed. Sometimes evil intentions are necessary in order to preserve good, and in this case, good intentions are necessary in order to preserve evil. We are doing this for the greater evil!"

"Intruders, why do you mutter amongst yourselves? Face us!" the angel nearest them shouted.

A warcry rang out from the angels. In the tunnels, it echoed and reverberated like the voices of an entire army. Maou winced as the cries pierced his ultra-sensitive eardrums before returning his attentions to the task at hand.

"The smallest dog always barks the loudest," Maou said to himself. He stood up, straight and tall and cast his crimson gaze around at the rallied angels, all of whom were tensing, as if preparing to charge.

"Fall."

With that one word, growled in a malicious tone befitting the Demon King, every angel in the tunnel dropped their weapons and gripped their throats. Magic unlike any they'd ever felt swept over them as their senses weakened and cried out for reprieve. It was as if someone had stolen the air from their lungs. The angels struggled to draw breath as Maou's demon magic washed over them.

The last one hit the uneven stone floor with a series of gruesome gags and gasps that made Maou raise an eyebrow. It reminded him of his time spent drinking sake and eating pizza, and made him feel queasy.

"Are you sure you should be using so much power, your majesty?" Ashiya wondered.

Ashiya, or Alciel, was in his demon form. Half of his face, and much of his body, was coated in a carapace-like organic armor that was tough enough to ward off blows from the Hero's holy sword. His amber eyes, sharp ears and incredibly muscled body almost made Maou appear feeble in comparison, though the difference in their levels of power could not be more backward.

"What? You mean all these guys? It was nothing! This crown is incredible! If I didn't know any better, I'd say it was converting the celestial force here into pure demon magic! If I'd known it could do that, we might've been able to use it to figure out Sataniel's formula in the first place, rather than sending Lailah, Rika, and Chiho off to work in an enemy lab, grasping at straws."

"The lab is the safest place for them," Lucifer muttered, "we just need to raise a bit more of a ruckus to keep the enemy occupied."

"Sounds like your area of expertise," Maou laughed, "didn't they call you the Molester of the Western Continent when we invaded Ente Isla?"

"I always hated that title," Urushihara spat, "it sounds so rapey. Why couldn't I have a cool name like Ashiya? The Scourge is so much more badass."

"Perhaps you should've left fewer witnesses… and kept a closer reign on your subordinates," Ashiya noted dryly.

"How was I supposed to know I had a group of sexually deviant demons under my control?! I didn't hand pick my troops, y'know!"

The demons began to walk as they chatted about their previous invasion. Maou raised a spherical barrier around the three of them, noting several odd holes in the walls, ceiling and floor. To a normal person, they were well concealed, but his demon eyes could see the holy silver glinting within them.

"Dude, for the last time, I'm not responsible for the actions of my subordinates! It's not like I was the one ploughing dead humans!"

"Your vulgar bluntness does you very little credit. Anyway- huh?"

Ashiya stopped mid-sentence. His foot seemed to have slipped or something. He looked down, only to find that his footing had been precise as ever, perhaps to a fault, even. The tile he'd stepped on was sunken into the floor, and the sounds of tiny mechanical clicks were like gunshots in the silence.

"A trap," Ashiya said in a sour tone.

"Are we screwed," Urushihara asked.

"No, I put up a barrier," Maou explained, waiting to see what happened.

The clicking stopped, and the sound of a heavy blade cleaving the air was heard as a trap activated.

"Ah!" Ashiya jumped, very nearly breaking the boundary of Maou's shield.

"I… I don't see it," Urushihara muttered, narrowing his eyes, "was it a dud?"

"Nope," Maou said quietly, "look."

Ashiya and Urushihara followed Maou's gaze upward, where an enormous blade rested precariously on the shield Maou had erected. It was like that of an enormous guillotine, and made entirely of holy silver. Without their protection, the demons likely would've been split down the middle, like firewood beneath an axe.

"Phew," Ashiya breathed a sigh of relief, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"Good call on that barrier," Urushihara decided, clapping Maou on the shoulder.

The further they progressed down the tunnels, which were beginning to slant downward, the more grateful Maou was for his quick thinking. Bolts of pure holy silver fired when Maou stumbled over a tripwire, only to ricochet off of his shield. Urushihara accidentally set off a flurry of spike traps that bent against the barrier. By the time they arrived at a set of old stone doors engraved with carvings of a tree, they were exceptionally worn out from fright. Even with the shield, the blades hurtling at them from every direction were still terrifying.

"Ok, seriously, fuck whoever designed all these traps," Urushihara said, shivering as the shadows in his peripheral vision made him paranoid.

"You said it," Maou nodded.

"Aye," Ashiya agreed.

They stood before the doors, which were incredibly tall. Even an angel would have trouble opening them, and they were filled with a power that seemed eerily reminiscent of Alas-Ramus'.

"This must be it," Maou said finally, "are you guys ready?"

The only responses he got was a grunt from Urushihara, and a grim nod from Ashiya. Maou put his hands on the doors, summoned his strength, and pushed. A sliver of white light shone into the dark tunnel. Maou closed his eyes and redoubled his efforts, and the light enveloped the demons, stunning them as their eyes adjusted to the brightness.

* * *

When the elevator doors dinged open, Lailah immediately held out an arm. The hall outside was completely deserted. Chiho and Rika waited as the fallen angel crouched low and peeked out of the doors. She scanned the intersecting corridors before standing once more and smoothing the wrinkles out of her dress.

"The coast is clear," she muttered, "let's go."

As they walked, Chiho was even more daunted by how loud she, Rika, and Lailah sounded in the vast emptiness of the corridors. As they were headed to the laboratory, she expected to be sneaking past guards, or perhaps getting the chance to fight an angel. She was sorely tempted to try and use the bow, but to do so would most likely give away their position.

"Whoa… this place looks sort of… different," Rika said shakily.

Lailah had led them into a large room that was quite dark. There were no torches lit, though the light from the doorway was enough for them to see cobwebs all over dusty beakers and vials. Lailah raised a hand, and the violet light she conjured lent the shadows dancing on the walls a terrifying imitation of life.

"Welcome to the laboratory of Sataniel… the closest thing to a god we angels have ever known," Lailah said.

In the soft light hovering in the fallen angel's hand, much of the lab was revealed, though it seemed to stretch on past the light in all directions, save the one they'd just come from. Directly in front of them were several raised altars of marble. They were littered with yellowed parchment and opened books. There were fragments of shattered glass all over, and on the floor, in the very center of the altars, was an enormous black ring of soot. Rika, much to her dismay, could still detect the faint smell of chemical fires and burning hair.

"Oh my god," Chiho gasped, covering her mouth with her hands, "look at the walls."

The shadows that danced over the walls were not entirely from the light Lailah held. The imprints of winged people could clearly be seen, like those of a person caught within the blast of a nuclear explosion. All of them seemed to have been terrified, shielding their eyes before they were… they were….

"Killed," Lailah sighed sadly, "all of them were killed. From my extensive research, Sataniel was the only survivor to witness it. The demons who left with him were other scientists, who hadn't even been in the lab. The energies released spread through much of the upper levels."

"Is it safe to be in here?" Chiho asked, still covering her mouth. She figured anything strong enough to create a nuclear-level blast would likely leave radiation behind, much like bombs did back on earth.

"Yes, perfectly safe, just be careful not to step on any broken glass. It could cut through your boots."

The sound of glass crunching underfoot made Lailah and Chiho jump. They flinched and whirled about to find Rika standing behind them, looking embarrassed.

"Sorry," she said, flashing a small smile.

Rika looked frightfully pale in the dark, and the sword she carried shook in her hands as she looked at the shadows on the wall. Each of them was an angel from the bible, likely with their own houses of authority and incredible abilities. If each of them were a capable scientist, and a divine entity with incredible powers, then how much energy would it have taken to simply vaporize them?

"Alright, ladies," Lailah said, pulling a long violet ribbon from her sleeve and tying her hair back into a hasty ponytail, "this is where the work begins!"

* * *

After a few pokes and prods from Better Half, the old, grumpy angel had generously offered to escort Emi and her accomplices to the throne room, only asking that his subordinates be let go.

"Follow me," he grumbled quietly, "nearly there, now."

"I don't know why you're so glum, buddy," Emi said, "it's not like I'm gonna kill you, y'know? After we get to the throne room you can go and escape with your friends."

"I am glum because you murdered one of my guards right before my very eyes," the old angel muttered, glancing darkly at Emi. "Not just that, that young man was my nephew, and a rising star amongst the guardian angels."

Emi face slacked, and she looked away from the elder angel's fierce gaze. His old, dark eyes ran the length of Emi's sword, which was currently levelled at his back. He made no move to attempt to wrest it from her, however. He knew all too well the power contained within that weapon, and the Hero that wielded it.

They rounded a corner and came upon another long hall, only this one was wide, and filled with white marble pillars, all of which were inlaid with gold to portray images from the bible. On one pillar was a depiction of Adam and Eve in Eden, looking wary of a serpent coiled around an apple tree. On the next was a depiction of a faceless, robed, winged figure, his palms focused inward as he created the world of Ente Isla.

On and on went the images, leading down the hall and right up to a pair of arched double doors replete with glowing glyphs that shifted and flickered, forming, to Emi's surprise, a nexus of holy magic that would be nigh impossible to penetrate.

"A dead end, huh?" Emi asked the angel. "Are you trying to lure us into a trap?"

"On my honor as the angel of Creation and Ingenuity, I, Xapham, will not lead you astray," the old angel growled.

"Let's move," Nord muttered, his eyes flicking back and forth as they made their way into the grand hall of pillars.

The long red carpet leading up to the doors was so bright and pristine Emi found it hard on the eyes. Golden thread trimmed its edges. Upon closer inspection, she found that the threads were actually words of prayer, woven together so finely that it appeared to be a simple line. Matching tapestries bearing the symbol of Heaven hung beyond the pillars. As they walked, Emi saw more and more biblical scenes sculpted with gold. It was hard to grasp the full scope of the artwork, as they wrapped around the entirety of the white marble columns, but Emi recognized several of them.

Behind the Hero, Suzuno strode along quietly, her boots making very little sounds as she listened for signs of life. As an assassin, she was trained to assess threat levels, recognize hazards, identify escape routes, and take everything into consideration before engaging a foe. To walk right in the front door with no real plan made her paranoid to no end, and she was constantly turning around to check her flank, and watching the shadows in her peripheral vision. That was why, when she came upon one of the very last columns before the great doors, she froze.

She turned slowly, her mind working overtime to confirm what she'd just seen.

"Morningstar," she whispered.

Even emblazoned in golden leaf, there was no mistaking his face. Suzuno knew it well. She traced his lips with her fingers before taking a step back to get a better view of the column, only to feel tears sting her eyes.

Inlaid in gold was a representation of Urushihara's fall from grace. She could see him, in the center, dive-bombing past clouds, his hands reaching upward as golden lines of sorrow trickled from the corners of his eyes. Standing on clouds all around him were angels, wailing in agony as their Lightbringer fell. Urushihara's irises were made of amethyst that sparkled sadly, lending his eyes a shiny, tearful quality.

"Suzuno," Emi asked, pausing as she noticed the inquisitor had fallen behind.

"It's him," Suzuno muttered, turning pale as Emi came to her side.

"What the… oh." Emi seemed at a loss for words. All she could do was stare at that heartwrenching moment, frozen in time.

Even though it was most likely an artist's representation, Emi still felt as though she'd missed a step going down the stairs. When she looked at Suzuno, she noted that her eyes were wide and watery. Her hammer shook in her hand as she stared at the etching.

"You ok, Bell?"

"Look at him," Suzuno said, "look at his face."

Emi frowned and looked at the carving once more, right at Lucifer's face. It was odd, but it was remarkably lifelike. Somehow, Emi knew that it wasn't an artist's representation. There was no way the pain and rage on his face could be faked, or even recreated by the greatest of artists.

"This must be when he fell," Emi said quietly.

"Why would someone commemorate this?" Suzuno hissed, "What sort of person would want this recorded?"

Xapham spoke from behind Emi and Suzuno, making them both jump, "All of these columns were designed and commissioned by Ignora. She took no pleasure in casting her son from her side, and so she had this recorded as a part of our history. Perhaps she did it to remember who he was before his Fall, or to serve as a reminder of the cost of perfection."

"'The cost of perfection,'" Suzuno asked, looking outraged.

"Of course, my dear. Heaven would not function so efficiently if we did not cull the herd and prune the weakest branches," Xapham said, grinning at the Bailiff's look of shock and anger.

"IS THAT HOW YOU JUSTIFY RAPHAEL'S DEATH? IS THAT HOW YOU EXPLAIN LUCIFER'S FALL? PERFECTION DOESN'T EXIST, AND YOU BASTARDS ARE WELL AWARE OF IT!" Suzuno hollered, gripping the angel by the front of his robes and shaking him like a ragdoll.

"A dog of the church has no right to question our ways, you murderous harlot," Xapham uttered coldly.

As Suzuno stared into the angel's eyes, a strange fire burned within them. Somehow, she could feel him digging around inside of her head, pulling out all of her insecurities, her fears, and her regrets. He scoured her memories, watching the horrific things she'd done, and forcing her to witness them again.

Blood. Death. Chaos. Murder. Betrayal.

Suzuno's knees turned to jelly, and she released the angel, who smirked as Suzuno fell to the ground.

"You bastard, what did you do to her?!" Emi asked. She seized Suzuno around the chest and hauled her to her feet before pivoting and raising her sword to the angel, who continued to grin wickedly.

"I was just reminding your friend of her place," Xapham shrugged, the cruel light in his eyes positively dancing.

"So… I'm a murderer," Suzuno mumbled.

Her face was hidden in shadows. Emi felt something remarkably dark and cold emanate from Suzuno, as if she were holding a block of dry ice to her side, rather than the petite woman. Suzuno grasped Emi's wrist and peeled her arm from around her chest before turning to face the angel once more.

"You are indeed, my dear… and a bold one to even consider killing me," Xapham laughed.

"Suzuno, don't-" Emi began.

The angel spread his wings and flapped, taking off into the air. The banners flapped in the gale as he quickly soared out of reach of Emi and her holy sword. Emi was about to give chase when a dark blur passed her by. She looked around, noting that Crestia Bell was gone.

"Suzuno!" Emi cried.

But the inquisitor could not heard the Hero. She leapt from pillar to pillar, kicking off each one as she quickly gained on the angel. She smiled as he saw her coming. The light in his eyes flashed, and Suzuno met it with a glare that was as dark and cold and bottomless as the ocean.

Crestia Bell was a murderer. A spy. A thief. An assassin. To the Church, she was a tool to be used whenever they needed something handled discreetly. Her missions were most often straightforward, but at times she had needed to use every skill in her repertoire just to survive. She had witnessed the deepest, darkest depths of humanity, and to say that nothing frightened her would be an understatement.

She was the Death Scythe, notorious for always managing to terminate her mark, and the look in her eyes spoke of a thirst for blood that could only be quenched by the death of the angel before her.

"Now… let's see what happens if I push you just a little further," Xapham said to himself as Suzuno flung herself at him, hammer poised to strike.

He had intended to use her past sins to completely shatter her mind. It would be interesting to see how a human reacted when their brain had been broken, and the last bits of their sanity were scattered to the wind. However...

"What the-" Xapham was cut off when Suzuno's hammer struck his face. He crashed into a pillar, but before he could tumble to the ground, Bell dragged him back up, pinning him against it by the neck.

"Y-you should… be broken…"

"I am," Suzuno muttered, staring into the angel's eyes.

Xapham shook himself and bored ever deeper into the inquisitor's mind. Much to his dismay, she did not try to stop him. Instead, she showed him everything she'd ever hidden. She threw the terrible things she had done and seen right at the angel, forcing him to live every single iota of pain and sadness that she'd been exposed to in the service of the Church.

"By Ignora," Xapham whispered, his eyes unfocused as Suzuno's memories tore at him like wraiths, "you're a monster."

Suzuno tightened her grip on the angel's neck and muttered, "No more so than you."

The angel's neck cracked. His eyes rolled back into his head and his breathing halted as his organs failed. Suzuno dropped the angel and let him fall for a moment before releasing her grip on the pillar and dropping as well. She landed only moments after his body crunched into the floor next to Emi, taking a hard knee. Now that she was freed from the mental probe of the angel, she found there was a twinge of annoyance in her abdomen, and it quickly turned into full-blown agony. She glanced down and very nearly fainted. In the bottom of her ribcage, an ivory scalpel had been plunged into her right up to the handle, most likely right when Xapham had endeavored to penetrate her mind.

"E-Emilia," Suzuno said.

The Bailiff stood, and Emi quickly noted the dark drip of blood gushing from the puncture in her armor. Before Suzuno could fall and hit her head, Emi had caught her and laid her delicately upon the ground. Her normally pale complexion was now absolutely ghost-like, and blood stained her lips as she felt her throat fill with it.

"Am I dying?" Suzuno asked weakly.

Between her rage, the loss of blood, and the horrible memories she'd been forced to relive, Suzuno felt that death might've been a preferable reprieve.

"N-No," Emi said, quickly yanking out the scalpel and tossing it aside, where it painted the white floor with ruby droplets.

After removing Suzuno's robes and thin leather armor, Emi was surprised to find that it was backed with a thin steel plate. Somehow, the razor thin metal of the scalpel had pierced the steel without any trouble.

"Holy silver," Nord muttered, picking up the blade and peering at it.

His attentions were quickly refocused upon Suzuno, who spluttered and shook as she fought to draw breath. Emi wiped away the blood that spattered onto her cheek with the back of her hand. Suzuno had been stabbed in a very bad spot, and likely had a punctured lung.

"Suzuno, this is going to hurt," Emi muttered.

She laid her hands on the Inquisitor's ribcage, causing her to jerk involuntarily. She could not cry out, due to her lack of breath, but her eyes screamed for mercy and filled with tears as Emi focused all of her magic upon her friend.

"Acies and I will help," Nord said, laying a reassuring hand upon Emi's shoulder.

As one, Acies, Nord, and Emi all took a deep breath. The air around them hummed with celestial force as they drew their power from Heaven itself. It was almost as if they were drops of water in an ocean of holy magic, and by focusing that ocean, they might have a chance at saving Suzuno.

"Come on, Bell," Emi murmured, "don't give up!"

* * *

Suzuno was floating. She was dressed in a silky white kimono with golden stitching. Her feet were bare as she felt herself carried upward through a white light so bright and piercing that it seemed to fill her entirely. She was at peace. Her troubles were no more. There was comfort where she was headed, and she longed for it desperately… but a voice was heard from below.

"Bell."

Suzuno stopped. Her ascent had paused. She opened her eyes, looking around at the all-encompassing whiteness.

"Huh?" she asked.

"Bell, wake up! Wake up!"

"I am awake," she mumbled, rubbing her eyes as she peered around to find the owner of the worried voice. They sounded so concerned, so heartbroken, that she couldn't help but feel pity for them.

"Bell, what are you doing? Aren't you supposed to be fighting or something?"

She froze. That time, she recognized who had spoken. She floated around, only to find Urushihara standing behind her.

He was dressed as he usually was, in a white shirt with dark sleeves and shorts. He wore a smirk that set her heart aflutter, and his hair and eyes were purple once again.

"You," Suzuno said, "I remember you… why are you here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" he asked. "I'm here to bring you back."

* * *

With the sound of someone surfacing from underwater, Suzuno sat up, her mind racing as she came to grips with herself.

"W-white light," she muttered as Emi quickly took the woman into her arms, "L-Lucifer…"

"You're back," Emi said, "it's alright, Suzuno. You're alright… you had me worried there for a second."

Suzuno thought she was shaking, but as it turned out, Emi was softly weeping into her shoulder. With the white light still on her mind, Suzuno numbly lifted her arms and wrapped them around Emi.

"I-I'm sorry," Suzuno whispered, "I didn't mean to… to make you worry."

"…just glad you're ok," Emi said shortly.

She stood from Suzuno's side and sniffled before holding out a hand to Bell. Even as she tried to smile, tears fell from her eyes.

She had been so close to losing Suzuno. Even with all the power of Heaven at her disposal, Emi's heart had nearly stopped when Suzuno had grown still and cold. She'd had no pulse, and her breathing had stopped. For the briefest of moments, Emi had thought Suzuno had died.

Instead, Suzuno stared listlessly at Emi for a moment before tearing up herself and taking the extended hand. She would have to sort out her vision, and contemplate the meaning behind it, when her task was done. The one thing she knew for sure was that there was work to do.

"The door?" she asked.

Emi nodded over to where the great double doors barred their path. They trilled with a complex power that could only be some sort of incredibly powerful ward. Before them, his arms outstretched and his fingers splayed, was Nord. His eyes were closed, and his faced twitched every now and again. He was outlined in an aura of celestial lights that seemed to flicker and change just as rapidly as the glyphs on the door.

"Dad's working on it," Emi muttered, "he said something about a lock and a key… some sort of pattern, but I wasn't really paying attention. Can you walk?"

Suzuno was standing on her own. She looked down at her tunic to find that the wound had been completely erased. Not even a red mark was visible of what should have been a fatal wound. She stretched and flexed, but everything felt fine. Then she closed her eyes, and to her surprise, she found that she had been supercharged with enough holy magic to level a Japanese skyscraper.

"I feel… incredible," Suzuno said.

She turned to look at the door once more, noting how sweat now beaded Nord's face. She cocked her head, noting that there was a peculiar pattern to the glyphs, and the energies they released. It was almost as if they formed an ever changing lock, and the only way to create a key would be to predict the pattern, and form the key just before the proper lock manifested. Suzuno stepped forward, coming up right behind Nord. As he stood so much taller than she did, she simply placed a hand between his shoulders, and through that connection, she supplied the power to calculate the proper key.

The aura of changing color wrapped around Suzuno. She felt her mind merge with those of Nord and Acies, and using the energies she'd absorbed during her healing, Suzuno supplied the final the component needed.

With the sound of a jet engine whirring to a standstill, the energy surrounding the door faded, as did the aura surrounding Nord and Suzuno.

"This is it," Emi muttered, taking the lead once more, "this is the throne room."

The doors were thrown open, and all three intruders flung themselves inside with echoing war cries, their weapons at the ready as they crossed the threshold.


	40. The Devil and the Hero: Ignora

"So," Maou said, sounding quite unimpressed, "you're Gabriel, are you?"

He, Urushihara, and Ashiya were all standing in a room unlike anything they'd ever seen. It was dark, save a single light that originated from within the branches of an enormous tree. It was not made of wood, but stone, and lines of glowing energy ran from the base of the trunk, all the way up the branches. Evenly spaced in a perfect circle over the heads of the demons were several golden apples. The branches where the apples met the tree were each lit up with different colors, so one branch was streaked with crimson, and another, azure. Nine different branches were lit, but one was not, and the apple of that branch was not whole. Three great holes were broken away from it, like pieces of glass missing from a mirror.

Beneath the boughs of this great tree, smiling knowingly, was Gabriel.

He was tall, and well-muscled, with long white hair that fell to his broad shoulders. With his toga and sandals, he could've passed for a soldier, or an ancient philosopher, but something in his eyes spoke of a keen intellect.

"Greetings, Satan Jacob. I am loathe to accept your kind into my house, but times are tough, and when I heard you carried Yesod with you… well, I would be hard pressed to turn you away."

"Are you shitting me?!" Lucifer burst out. "We nearly died like sixty times! Not to mention we had to fight through your guards."

"Ignora insisted the guards be here… and I knew that the Devil would have no trouble thwarting those traps. What matters is that you got here, in the end," Gabriel shrugged.

Lucifer went red in the face, and celestial force poured from him like molten lava as he stared daggers at Gabriel. At least a hundred good angels had just been killed, each one with families, loves, and children… and all he could do was shrug?

It made Lucifer want to drop Gabriel face first onto his sword, and let him slowly be impaled by it. Ashiya rested a hand upon his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. The pain brought Urushihara back from the brink of his rage as he took a few deep breaths and looked away from a man he'd once considered a brother.

"As volatile as ever… but who'd have thought you'd learn to control your temper after spending so long with these demons?" Gabriel laughed.

"I didn't come here to deliver Alas-Ramus to you," Maou interjected, "I came here to put a stop to you."

"Wha-to me? Too mean! I haven't done anything, yet! Seriously, I've just been standing guard here! Ignora said I wasn't to leave this chamber, so I did as she said, and now you accuse me of villainy?!"

Gabriel looked outraged, and he spoke as though he were quite sick of being cooped up in that dark room with nothing but a giant tree for company.

"W-well, you're subjugating the Sephiroth," Maou reasoned, "I-I mean… I think you are."

"Subjugating? Are you serious? I'm standing guard so any intruders that happen to swing by don't have a clear shot at ending the world as we know it! I'm protecting it!"

"Self-assured, much," Lucifer mumbled to himself.

"I heard that!" Gabriel shouted, pointing accusingly at Urushihara.

Ashiya frowned and muttered, "Just because you are here doesn't mean you are only guarding the Tree. If you wanted, you could easily destroy the Sephiroth, if Ignora so commanded you to. Without even realizing it, you are ensuring the Tree will remain bound to you and yours."

"Tch. I don't have to answer your absurd theories… I do, however, have to wrest the fragment of Yesod from the Devil. Michael, brother, we have company… and I think you'll find them to be quite interesting."

From behind the trunk of the enormous tree came a shadow that stood even taller than Gabriel, and a presence far more intimidating than anything Maou had ever felt before in his entire life.

* * *

The throne room was empty, so when Emi, Nord, and Suzuno had burst through the doors to find an empty throne, and no one to witness their ferocity, they were rather let down.

"Dammit," Emi kicked at the floor, "where could she be?!"

It was an apt question. The palace was enormous, and the truth was that they had no way of locating Ignora. Unless they could find her quickly and begin the distraction, she would be free to go and intercept their other war parties, and ruin their plans.

"Calm down, Emi," Nord muttered, "I… I think she's close by."

"Wha-how can you tell?"

"Acies," Nord smiled, "I'm having her search for Ignora… and she says that-"

"She's dead ahead of us. Not even a kilometer away," Acies said.

"Huh?"

Emi looked around the throne room, but a memory quickly resurfaced. The throne room, from what she'd seen on the blueprints, was enormous. The one she stood in now, while certainly grand, was nowhere near the right scale. If Emi's math was right, there was another room behind the far wall, where a grand golden chair sat.

"Let's go," Emi said, picking her way forward carefully.

Behind the great golden throne was a pair of blood red banners. On either side of the throne were two tiny trees that were made of stone, with glowing white tendrils of power flowing along the gnarled branches.

Emi walked right up to the throne. She looked it over for a moment, noting the fine velvet cushions and solid gold armrests when a ruby caught her eye. It was about the size of an egg, and remarkably ostentatious. Compared to the rest of the throne, which was a work of art in itself, the faceted crimson stone was downright gaudy.

Emi shrugged, and with no regards to the consequences, she reached down and touched the stone. It gave way, and quickly sank into the chair before a golden hatch slid closed over it.

"Emi," Suzuno called from around the corner of the raised alcove the throne was situated in. Emi turned, and to her delight she found Suzuno pointing at an opening that had appeared in the marble. It formed a small hallway through the thick stone wall, into a well-lit area that smelled of sterility and chemical fires.

They advanced, their hearts pounding in their ears as they readied their weapons and pushed through the cramped corridor. They came into the light of the other side, where they found themselves in a rather cluttered and disheveled laboratory that seemed to stretch on forever. Open books and sheafs of yellowed parchment covered in cramped, slanted handwriting were spread over every available surface. And there, standing next to a long table of clear glass beakers, retorts, and alembics, all of which seemed to be connected via long glass straws, was a woman with her back to them.

"Ignora," Emi growled, "face us."

The woman turned away from her table and smiled kindly at everyone. She was neither young nor old, but caught somewhere in between. She wore her wisdom like a crown upon her brow, though it shone far brighter than any metal could ever gleam. Something about her made Emi feel as though Ignora weren't as bad as everyone made her out to be. She was a woman with a plan, doing whatever was best for her family, as any caring mother would. While Ignora looked ageless, she seemed matronly, and the knowing twinkle in her eyes made Emi feel like she was being x-rayed.

She wore a long white dress, with lace sleeves and golden embroidery. Her hair was long and whitish gold, and fell in wavy curtains down to her waist. From the corner of Emi's eye, it almost appeared that Ignora was outlined in some sort of golden aura. This woman was clearly powerful and wise, and Emi was overcome by a strange sense of longing to please Ignora, to make her proud, like a child with a good report card.

The Hero shook her head. She was no child, and Ignora was not her mother. The thought that Urushihara was related to this goddess was incomprehensible.

"Hello, everyone," Ignora said kindly, "I've been expecting you!"

Her voice was warm and sweet, like a river of honey, yet there was a something within it that could just as easily turn sour and scold you. The angel swept her hair from her face and sighed, looking quite flustered.

"Dear me, I forgot to clean up… usually I receive guests in the throne room. You'll have to forgive me, but I haven't been able to clean my lab. I'm nearing a breakthrough of sorts, you understand, and I cannot afford to let it slip through my fingers this time."

"You're looking for ways to make magic," Emi guessed as her eyes combed over the books, "and protect your status as angels."

"Well of course! We rely on magic. It fuels our society, and that of the humans. If we were to create an endless supply of magical power, the possibilities would be just as endless! An end to war, poverty, famine… death itself would no longer be an obstacle," Ignora's eyes were unfocused for a moment before Emi spoke again.

"But you're immortal. Why would you worry about dying?"

"Me? I've no need to worry. As you say, I _am_ immortal, but…well, this is purely theoretical, of course… but with enough magic power, the ones we've loved and lost could return as well. With enough magic, we could bring the peace and prosperity of Heaven to Ente Isla, and all worlds. Just imagine it, a place where you would be normal! Free of your burdens as the Hero! A place where humans and angels coexist, and no one suffers or goes without. Happiness for all."

"Life isn't a fairytale," Suzuno said shortly.

"But what if it could be?" Ignora posed, turning her rose colored eyes to the Bailiff. "What if you could make it so that no one else had to suffer as you did, Crestia Bell? I sense much strife within you… and I sense that you wouldn't wish your suffering of your worst enemies."

Ignora's eyes seemed to reopen the wounds Suzuno had suffered during her bout with Xapham. Her mind overflowed with painful memories, but a vast presence wrapped around her mind and swept the memories aside as easily as one would brush away tears.

Ignora cocked her head, sadness in her eyes as she looked at Suzuno, rather like a mother who had watched their child suffer.

"If you had the chance to spare future generations your pain… wouldn't you do it?" Ignora asked, stepping forward and cupping Suzuno's chin.

Something passed between them, and Suzuno got the distinct feeling that Ignora was no stranger to pain… how could she remain so strong, and so noble of bearing?

"Your world would never be perfect," Nord said, "the Sephiroth are resolute. They will either grow to be exactly who they are meant to be, or they will be destroyed by your efforts to change them."

"The Sephiroth are people, in and of themselves. If everyone, from humans, to demons, to angels, can change who they are in the constant pursuit of happiness, then there is no reason the Sephiroth shouldn't be able to as well," Ignora countered smartly.

"We didn't come here to debate with you, Ingora," proclaimed Emi, brandishing Better Half at the angel, "we came here to stop you! Your goals don't do the lives you throw away to achieve them any justice!"

"You're referring to Raphael, aren't you," Ignora asked, looking thoroughly upset about something, "I do regret his Falling… such a waste of a fierce warrior. Few enough angels held his compassion in equal measure, and even less could match his strength. Still, I'm afraid you're a little too late to stop me, Hero Emilia."

Emi was about to ask what Ignora meant when another pair of doors, different from the secret one they had just come through, burst open. Three people entered the room, with one being carried by the other two.

As terrified as Emi, Nord, and Suzuno were to see Lailah, beaten and bruised as she was, the angels flanking her were far more frightening.

"You're efforts to recreate the Incident cannot progress if I remove your scientist as a factor," Ignora said, "and behold for yourselves: the power of the Sephiroth, focused into reanimation!"

On one side of Lailah, clutching her arm in an iron grip, was Raphael. He looked much the same as he had when he was alive, but now there was something different. The way he stood stock still, with absolutely no light in his eyes, made Emi feel as though he were less than human.

On Lailah's other side, pinning her arm against her back, was Sariel. He looked just as nonplussed as Raphael, and twice as lifeless.

"You've brought them back to life," Nord muttered disgustedly.

"Not quite," Ignora pouted, walking over to them.

As one, they cast Lailah onto the floor, where she lay in a heap, shuddering. From the look of her, she'd been beaten to within an inch of her life. Ignora scowled at the prone woman before circling her and waving her hands before Raphael's and Sariel's eyes. Neither of them moved a muscle.

"You see? They are still quite dead, in a certain sense, but their bodies are quite useful… for the moment, they are empty, just vessels who heed my will. But the fact that they understand and obey is a breakthrough all its own! And their bodies no longer decay, either… just think of how close I am! A little more tweaking and I could have them walking and talking and smiling, just like they used to!"

She peered back and forth between the angels with a hopeful smile on her face. She clasped her hands together, as though in prayer, but Emi kept her sword at the ready. She wanted to dart forward and pull Lailah away from Ignora and her undead lackeys, but she figured the moment she tried, they would spring into action. Instead, Emi looked down at Lailah, who peered at her with one violet eye, the other having swollen shut. Emi didn't need to be a mind reader to get the message.

 _'_ _RUN!_ '

She shook her head, and that tiny movement seemed to draw Sariel's attention. He stared at Emi with those dead eyes that had once fired beams of magic strong enough to nullify her holy sword.

"Now that we understand each other… now that you realize how futile your mission is, now that it's been compromised, why don't you join me? All of you could help us… your insights would be most valuable to my research!" Ignora said, her scarlet eyes glowing as she looked between Nord, Emi, and Suzuno.

"What of the Devil?" Emi asked, "He's still here… do you really think he'll give up without a fight?"

"It really doesn't matter, dear," Ignora laughed, "you see, I sent Heaven's mightiest warrior to deal with those demons… you needn't worry about them, they'll be dead any moment now."

* * *

Michael was unlike any Archangel Maou had ever seen. Whereas most of them were vain in their attempts to appear immortal and ageless, Michael did not seem to care, as he looked to be in his mid-forties. He was extremely well built, with groups of muscles bulging from eons of labor and dedicated training. His skin was not pristine and fair, it was sun tanned, freckled, and in many areas, scarred, as though he had spent many long hours outside, perfecting his skills under the hot sun.

Compared to Raphael and Gabriel, it was clear that Michael was the archetypal older brother that they admired and looked up to when it came to their physique, as Michael was more perfectly formed than either of them. He did not smile, and a permanent scowl was etched into his face, like that of a warrior pondering some complicated stratagem. He had long silver hair braided in such a way that kept his vision unhampered, but allowed his hair to cascade elegantly down his broad shoulders. He also sported a sharp, pointy white goatee, like the head of a spear. His eyes were a darker red, almost maroon, like blood, and he wore only sandals and a toga that displayed his ripped abdominals proudly.

"So, this is the Demon King?" he asked. "You look nothing like Sataniel. To think you are my best friend's successor is kind of sad. He deserves a better legacy than some scrawny goblin class demon barely out of his three hundreds."

Michael's voice was gruff, as though he'd torn his voicebox shouting some terrible war cry at the top of his lungs. He stood a head taller than Gabriel, who was quite tall himself, and he carried a massive claymore across his back.

"First off," Maou said, "I actually just turned three hundred. And while I am goblin class, I managed to unite the demons under a single banner… a feat not even properly accomplished by the last Demon King."

In his human form, Maou had to crane his neck backward to get a good look at Michael, whose face was just as scarred as the rest of his body. For a moment, he half expected the archangel to raise a sandal and squish him into the ground, but in the next, a wide grin split the warrior's face.

"HA! HAHAHAAAA! Phew, even if you're no Sataniel, you sure are a riot. Tell me, Demon Lord, why have you come here today? Surely even you must realize how foolhardy it would be to attempt to steal the Fruit from right under Ignora's nose? She may be a bit full of herself, but that's no reason to underestimate her."

"Careful, brother," Gabriel whispered, looking around worriedly.

"Pah!" Michael spat, "I'm not afraid of Ignora like the rest of you gutless whelps! When it comes down to it, she's no more a God than you or I."

"She is the Steward of Heaven, her word is law," Gabriel reminded his brother.

"Sataniel was the Steward. She just took his title after he vanished."

Michael took a seat upon the ground, sitting cross legged before the Demon King and his Generals. Even sitting, Maou felt no desire to attack the warrior. Something about the angel before him was different from the others... but what was it?

Michael yawned, and stretched his arms over his head. His muscles audibly popped and crackled before he sighed and pulled his sword from his back. Everyone, even Gabriel, tensed violently, but Michael just polished the blade with his toga, looking quite uninterested in the goings on.

'That's it,' Maou realized, 'he's completely at ease. Even with the Crown of Sataniel, he doesn't consider me a threat!'

"Of course I don't," Michael grunted shortly, causing Maou's jaw to hit the floor, "who do you think made that crown, eh? A warrior cannot be content with just one art. He must undertake many, to work every muscle he can, and keep his mind sharp. I forged that crown for Sataniel as a wedding gift… the day he married my sister, Ignora, was one of the happiest days of my life."

"Wha-YOU CAN HEAR MY THOUGHTS?!"

"Of course. I used the crown to talk to Sataniel, back when he was still alive. Ignora used to get so mad, we would both be talking to Sataniel, and he would be listening to me instead of her. She had a hell of a time figuring out how we were communicating- HAHAHAHAHAAAA!"

His booming laugh caused everyone to tense once more, but then he immediately set to work polishing his sword. His brow furrowed, and the angel's eyes grew wet as he remembered the man he'd once called brother.

"Y'know what, Gabe? I think you can handle this... I don't feel like fighting today," Michael grumbled, getting to his feet and turning away from the Devil.

"Hold on- you can't just walk away! Ignora gave you explicit orders to help me protect the Tree!"

"My little sister has always been bossy. If she's got a problem with me taking the day off, she can come and talk to me about it." Michael sniffled, and blow his nose on his toga.

"So… you're not even gonna fight us?" Urushihara asked.

Michael paused, and turned around to cast a bloody eye upon Lucifer.

"Nephew… it's good to see you're alright. I'd been wondering how you were coming along. Damn shame they cast you out for sticking to your convictions… shows a real strength of character, which isn't something these idiots have a lot of."

"I'm surprised you're still here," Urushihara said, crossing his arms, "I'd expect you to have been assassinated by now."

"If there was an assassin that could kill me, Ignora would've had it done already. Still, I harbor no resentment for fallen angels. Family is family after all, right m'boy?"

"If that's the case, why haven't you taken down Ignora?" Urushihara asked sharply. "People have been suffering. You know all about it, but you just keep to yourself, and train, and only come when your called, like some lapdog. I thought you would be the one to take over after people had had enough of mom's bullshit."

"I haven't pulled a coup because I never aspired to lead," Michael said, rubbing the back of his head, "I didn't have the patience, or the brains. I suppose you probably got your social skills from me."

"What social skills?" Urushihara asked.

"Exactly," Michael grinned for a moment. "Anyway, the reason I never overthrew your mother is the same reason I haven't killed you, yet. We're family. Blood means something… or it used to. Turns out it doesn't matter what you do. Whether you're brushing your teeth, or taking someone's life, it all gets stale. You kill enough people, you spill enough blood… well, it's enough to put anyone off of killing for a while."

"Even when a cause is just?"

"Ha. And who's to say your cause is more just than your mother's, eh?" Michael smirked at his nephew. "Sure, she's a little off her rocker, and she isn't the same woman she used to be… but the fact remains that so long as she continues to hold the best interests of Heaven in her heart, she's better than whatever changes you could instigate."

Alciel stepped forward and cleared his throat. He'd been watching the debate between Urushihara and Michael, but it felt like a waste of time to him.

"And who're you?" the enormous angel grunted.

"Alciel, Archdemon, Scourge of Ente Isla, and Right Hand of the Demon King, at your service."

"Michael. Seraph. Archangel. Warrior of Heaven, and a pretty solid painter, if I do say so myself."

Alciel stuck out a hand. Michael turned and grasped it, giving the Demon General a firm handshake. Even in his demons form, which was quite tall, Ashiya was still a bit shorter than the Seraph.

"A pleasure," Alciel said shortly, "anywho, I noticed you seemed quite fond of the previous Demon King, Sataniel, correct?"

"We were best friends," Michael said, looking suspicious.

"Then you have every reason to want to overthrow Ignora," Ashiya said smartly, "for she is the one who killed him."

Michael's eyes opened wide for a moment before he turned away from Alciel.

"How could you possibly know that, demon?" Michael asked.

"Logic," Ashiya said flatly. "Listen… the Incident created demons, and Sataniel was transformed into one during this process. Afterward, he took his crown and fled Heaven. He knew that they would be hunted down for their ghastly exteriors, so he took them as far from Ignora as he possibly could. From what you say, an angel only need fear another angel if they are more or less equals in the hierarchy. Even as a demon, Sataniel's power was unlike that of any other demon, because he was a Seraph before he changed. Only a Seraph would've been able to kill him, so unless you did it, or there is another Seraph in Heaven I don't know about… Ignora killed Sataniel. And given her track record of heartlessly butchering people that go against her will, I wouldn't say that killing her husband was very out of character for her. This is the woman that cast her only son from Grace, after all."

Michael was a warrior without equal. His skills and power were so far above every other angels' that he barely needed to break a sweat to accomplish tasks they found impossible. In the sparring arena, no one could match him… save his best friend, Sataniel.

The two of them were inseparable, closer than brothers. Even after Sataniel fell in love with Michael's sister, Ignora, the two of them never lost touch. Michael had been so pleased to have Sataniel as a brother in law… he could still remember the celebrations of their wedding, and how happy the newlyweds had looked.

Aside from being a superb warrior, Sataniel had been a craftsman, an artisan, and a scientist. As the Steward of Heaven, his job was to maintain peace and prosperity, and reign over all with love and compassion in the stead of the Lord. Though it had been millennia, the thought of his friend still brought tears to his eyes… but now, those tears burned like never before.

"Ignora… of course. She was the only one who could've killed him… and if it were to preserve the status quo, she'd have no qualms about murdering her husband."

Michael felt something stir within him, something he hadn't felt in centuries. Bloodlust. Anger. The will to fight that he had long thought lost came forth with the force of an atomic bomb. The fire in his chest that had grown dim over the long years of sadness now burned anew.

"B-b-b-brother? Brother Michael? What are you doing?" Gabriel asked, stepping forward unsurely.

In response, Michael's power burst forth with the blaze of a million suns. From his back burst not one, but three sets of wings. They were golden, and looked metallic. They shone like molten metal, and blazed with fire that was difficult to look at. Maou could smell his eyebrows singing away before the raw power of the angel.

"So what if Ignora killed Sataniel?! Chances are she had good reasons to do it! What if he'd gone berserk?!" Gabriel posed.

"If he'd gone lost his mind after becoming a demon, he'd not have had the wits to lead the survivors of the Incident away," Ashiya said simply, "in short, the fact that we demons exist today proves that Ignora killed Sataniel."

The glow surrounding Michael grew more and more intense, until it felt as though the stone tree might burst into flames.

"Thank you, Archdemon Alciel, for opening my eyes," Michael called through the fire and light, "I shall make good on your logic and confront Ignora directly!"

"You can't," Gabriel shouted, seizing his brother by the arm, "she'll have you killed!"

"She'll have to do it herself, as there isn't another being alive that could destroy me. In any case, I have no qualms with death. So many of my friends and family have taken that step… it would be a shame to keep them waiting."

With that, Michael disappeared in a roaring inferno, leaving Gabriel alone with three demons, all of whom grinned wickedly and cracked their knuckles.

"Looks like your trump card isn't a factor anymore," Urushihara said, "so how do you want your ass handed to you?"

"Michael was Ignora's idea of insurance," Gabriel smiled, "in truth, no mere demon could stand a chance against me. Even with the odds as they are, Durendal and I shall make quick work of this!"

From behind his back, the angel pulled a great silver sword. The pommel and guard were gold, and etched with curious engravings. No jewels adorned the sword, but when it cleaved the air, the sound it made was nothing like Maou had ever heard.

"Isn't she beautiful? Durendal is as sharp as a razor! And a million times stronger than ordinary steel! Indeed, you'll be hard pressed to beat me with whatever scrap you… brought," Gabriel said, his final word touched with disbelief as the Devil extended a hand and produced a holy sword of his own.

"Is that a Yesod fragment in the hilt of your sword?" Gabriel asked.

"Yup." Maou grinned

Gabriel smiled, as though the gravity of his situation amused him, and said, "Well, shit."

* * *

Chiho was having the most wonderful dream.

She and her friends had been backpacking around the countryside of Ente Isla, camping at night, and looking up at the stars together. The dream was so sweet and surreal that when she finally awoke, she had tears in her eyes.

Then she remembered what had happened.

Lailah had been swiftly ordering Rika and Chiho about the abandoned laboratory, gathering books, tattered and burnt sheafs of parchment, and dusty bottles of chemicals that Chiho couldn't pronounce if she tried- and that was saying something, because chemistry was one of her favorite subjects.

Then, right as Chiho had been digging through a cupboard, she heard a door creak open from outside of the lab. As the entire floor had been deserted, the sound was quite a shock. She turned to Lailah and Rika, seeing that they were both just as stunned. Lailah had beckoned them over to her, where she stood amid the raised altars, and before Chiho could even ask what the plan was, Lailah had put a finger to her forehead. Just as Chiho had faded from consciousness, the sound of the laboratory doors bursting open was heard, along with the sound of a scuffle.

Chiho gasped and kicked up from the floor, scanning the dark room. The light Lailah had conjured was gone, as was the fallen angel. A loud, surprising snort made Chiho jump. She turned to look at where the noise was coming from, but her foot hit something soft, and Chiho hit the ground.

"Five more minutes," Rika mumbled from next to the fallen high schooler.

"Rika! Wake up," Chiho said, shaking her friend.

"Nooo, just snuggle with me," Rika muttered.

She threw an arm around Chiho's waist and pulled her in close. Chiho felt her face go red before she began to struggle for her life.

"Unhand me!" Chiho cried, kicking at the air and pulling at Rika's incredibly strong grip, "Release me at once! These are nonconsensual snuggles!"

"Hmm? Oh, hey Chiho… wha-where are…"

Rika's eyes went wide as her memories came flooding back to her. She quickly released Chiho's waist and instead clapped a hand over the high schooler's mouth.

"MMMPH!" Chiho yelped.

Rika listened as she tried to steady her breathing. She couldn't hear anyone else. The entire floor was silent again, aside from Chiho's panting and nervous squeaks.

"Sorry, Chi," Rika said, "I thought they might hear us and come back."

"Right… sorry, I wasn't even thinking about that," Chiho mumbled.

They stood, brushing millennia old soot from their clothes as they looked around. The lab was dark, but the figures of angels caught in the blast were still barely visible along the walls, giving Chiho the heebie-jeebies. It felt as though each of the silhouettes had eyes, and was watching her closely. She looked away from them to see Rika scratching her head as she looked around.

"Uh… Chi? What are we supposed to do now?" Rika wondered.

Chiho was at a loss as well. Aside from gathering things for Lailah, they had absolutely no idea as to what they should be doing.

An image of Lailah flashed behind Chi's eyes, and she felt as though someone had taken an electric mixer to her brains for a moment before she steadied herself. She found Rika looking just as confused, leaning against an altar as she shook her head to try and focus.

"Whoa," she said, "I must've stood up too fast."

"Y-Yeah… me too," Chiho agreed.

They stared a each other for a moment before turning away and looking at the altars. Books were all over. Complex formulae neither Chiho or Rika were familiar with were scribbled in writing so cramped it was hard to decipher. Not only that, but their understanding of Ente Islan was still limited to a few words without the use of an Idea Link.

"Uh… Chiho? Is it just me… or does all of this look… different."

Rika gestured to the contents on the altars, including the bottles, beakers, calcinators, retorts, and alembics. Chi followed Rika's gaze, and found that something was indeed off.

First, she could not only understand the words that filled the pages of the books, they seemed to make sense to her. Second, the labels on the dusty beakers she and Rika had gathered for Lailah no longer read as gibberish. Each one was a chemical, and Chiho could comprehend and understand what they were, and how they all fit together.

"I… think I understand," Chiho said, rubbing her temples as she tried to concentrate.

When Lailah had put the two of them to sleep, she had used an Idea Link to transfer all of her alchemical knowledge into Chiho and Rika. The process had happened in an instant, so there were bound to be a few kinks, but for the most part, the girls had been given the knowledge they needed to complete the task at hand.

"Ok, then, we need to start with something called hyrdrogen cyanide," Rika said, "but I can't figure out which one it is… these labels are all in Ente Islan!"

"It's this one," Chiho said, "see? It says 'hydrogen cyanide' right on the label."

"Looks like your average scribbles to me," Rika shook her head after peering at the bottle Chiho held up for her scrutiny.

They paused, their eyes wide as it all came together.

"If you know the formula-" Chiho began.

"-and you know which chemical is which-" Rika added.

They left the statement open, instead grasping hands and looking quite determined.

"We've got this," they said in unison.

* * *

Emi hadn't been separated from Better Half since she'd first held the blade, and it had miraculously sunken into her skin. The majority of her life had been lived with the weapon residing within her. So long as she had it, it was her trump card. So long as the blade remained with her, she had a chance of winning.

So of course, when Ignora forcefully removed it from the Hero's flesh, she couldn't help but lose all hope.

"So, Emilia, I sense that you have a fragment of Yesod," Ignora said pleasantly as she sipped on some tea, "I'd like it returned to me, if you don't mind."

Emi felt her hands shake, and the tip of Better Half nervously traced a figure eight over the floor as Emi stared at the Seraph before her.

"Hmm? No? Well, then, I'll make this simple. Either you surrender the sword… or I'll kill Lailah. And I won't be bringing her back."

Ignora still spoke as though she wasn't asking all that much. It was the tone one might use to borrow a few yen, or a cup of sugar from a neighbor. That didn't change the fact that Emi would have to give up the one thing she'd relied upon for most of her life… or a mother she'd only just met.

The choice should've been obvious, but when Emi looked at Lailah's bruised face and bloodied nose, she knew she couldn't let her mother die.

"But I… I can't give you my sword," Emi said desperately, "I don't know how."

"I see," Ignora sighed. Her fingers drummed against the lab counter she was leaned against for a moment before she raised an arm and pointed at Emi.

"N-No," Lailah gasped, trying to rise, "Emi… don't let her-"

A beam of light pierced the Hero like a bullet, connecting Ignora's finger and Emi's entire body. Instead of shooting through Emi, like a normal beam of energy, this one seemed to shoot through her limbs, burning all the way. Emi screamed at the top of her lungs as pain such as she'd never experience raked her body. Suzuno and Nord called out to her, but the heat radiating from her was so overpowering they didn't dare approach. Her eyes flickered between crimson and green, and her hair flared out behind her as it changed from magenta, to white, and back again.

"It would seem that if you want something done right… you just have to do it yourself," Ignora said, deaf to Emi's pitiful cries of agony as she sipped at her tea. She set the delicate china back onto its matching saucer with a delightful tinkling sound as Emi's body crashed to the floor. Before Ignora hung a mass of what appeared to be quicksilver, but it was quickly reforming a blade. Floating off to the side, completely unfazed by Ignora's might, was a glowing violet crystal- the same one that had been in the sword's hilt.

"There you are!" Ignora whispered excitedly, her eyes lighting up as she strode forward and caressed the crystal to her chest. It floated over her hands, shining spectacularly, even in the light of the lab.

"Emi!" Nord shouted, running over to where his daughter now slumped on the ground. He felt no magic from her whatsoever. He quickly turned her over, intending to check her pulse, when she groaned and came to.

"Emi, get the holy sword," Suzuno hollered, swinging her mallet in a deadly arc as she charged Ignora.

Before Suzuno could make contact, Ignora raised a hand, and Suzuno went flying. Nord, too, was lifted from his place at Emi's side. Suzuno hit the wall and slid down it before dropping to the floor. Nord kicked and fought as Ignora levelled a finger at him, and with the same slow, precise technique, she tore Acies-Ara from his person in the form of another shard of violet crystal.

Nord grit his teeth, but he could not stop the garbled howl that broke his lips. A vein popped in his forehead and neck as every muscle within him tensed.

"Papa," Acies whispered as she quickly grew dormant inside of the amethyst jewel.

"NO!" Lailah screamed.

She made to rise again, but was quickly pinned to the floor by Raphael, who still looked unaware by his actions. The two glimmering Yesod fragments danced in Ignora's palm for a moment before they fused. Ignora swept a lose strand of hair from her face, looking quite haughty.

"Two down, one to go," she muttered. "Honestly, though, why do I continue to pay Gabriel? That idiot seems to be having enough trouble reclaiming the one fragment he has to deal with."

Emi slowly got to her feet. She hurt all over, and it was so intense she felt she might die from the pain. She looked to the side, her mind as thick as molasses as she looked to where Suzuno lay. The inquisitor's warhammer was quickly turning back into a hairclip, which meant that she was either unconscious, out of magic… or dead. Emi painstakingly turned her heavy head to the other side, looking at where Nord lay on the ground. He, too, was unmoving, and Emi couldn't tell if he was breathing or not. The world felt as though it were shifting beneath her, and she widened her stance to stay upright.

"You seem to have recovered quite well… I can take the Yesod and the Holy Evolving Silver from your body, but you are still half angel. You are far more… durable… than your friends." Ignora noted, raising an eyebrow. She smiled, as though she'd just told Emi that she loved her hair, or her top, but the Hero could hardly hear Ignora, much less understand what she was saying.

"Sadly, you did not surrender the holy sword to me, and I am not a woman to break her word, so…"

Ignora extended a hand, beckoning the holy sword to her. Raphael nodded, and he stood up, dragging Lailah with him as he held her up by her hair. Ignora turned her back to Emi, and leaned in close to Lailah. The few words Emi heard spoken were sweet and loving- something about Lailah returning to the bosom of the Lord to be reborn. Ignora delicately pecked Lailah on either cheek, took a careful step back, and plunged the holy sword through the fallen angel's abdomen.

"No," Emi reached out a shaky hand as Lailah turned to look at her daughter. There was pain in her eyes, but Emi got the feeling it wasn't the pain of being stabbed. It was something deeper, and so much more profound. If Emi didn't know any better, her mother might've just nonverbally begged her forgiveness.

Lailah's eyelids fluttered and closed. Her body began to glow, and like a thousand fireflies, she broke apart, sending little glowing sparks spiraling away.

"Dear me, they come so easily, but they always seem to take a piece of me with them when they go," Ignora flicked away a tear, looking quite sad for a moment before she turned to Emi.

"Now then, Emilia, there's been something I've been wanting to talk to you about since you first came to me," the Seraph's tone changed, becoming much more businesslike. There was a strange look in her eyes as she wiped the blood from the sword onto a spare bit of cloth from her worktable.

"I-I'll kill you," Emi mumbled. She stepped forward, shaking her head to try and reclaim some clarity. Her eyes fixed on the sword in Ignora's hands.

"No, I don't think so, darling. Quite the other way around, actually. You see, while I am grateful for the return of Yesod, I have sensed it from the moment you stepped into my citadel." The Steward of Heaven cast an angry glare at Emi, who tensed. It was the first time she'd seemed so unhappy. If the angel was willing to murder with a smile on her face, Emi was terrified of what she might do should she become angry.

"What are you… talking about?" Emi wondered, trying hard to think of something she might've done to offend the angel. Sure, she'd threatened to kill her, but what had she done when she'd come into the castle?

"That… thing… that you carry inside of you," Ignora said distastefully, circling the Hero as she twirled Better Half.

"I… what?"

"There's no need to play coy with me, dear," Ignora said, smiling wryly, "your allies are either dead or unconscious. You needn't keep up the pretense. I can feel the spawn of Satan within your womb. You are carrying his child… a hideous conglomerate of angel and demon bloodlines… the Antichrist."

Emi blanched. She felt as though Ignora had just struck her with her words. She stepped back, stumbled, and fell, shaking her head in disbelief.

"N-no… you're lying!"

"What reason do I have to lie?" Ignora giggled, "Besides, you know it to be true. I can sense that you haven't been feeling well. Your body has been trying to tell you… you are carrying the child of the Demon King."

Emi felt hot flashes. Her mind, which had been sluggish and numb, was now racing. She was pregnant? And Maou was the father? Screaming echoed within her head… wait, no, that was external! The floor shook. The roars of anger picked up and grew loud. Behind Ignora, sparks flashed and fire roared, as did the immense, muscled figure hovering within the inferno.

"IGNORA!" roared a deep, masculine voice.

"What is the meaning of this?" the Steward of Heaven asked. Shockwaves of power rolled over Emi as a howling wind tore at the books and parchment. The temperature in the room rose substantially, making Emi feel as though she were in an oven. The being within the fire had six wings of molten gold, long white hair that was pulled back from his face with tightly woven braids, and a sharp goatee. His eyes were golden, and though they weren't focused on Emi, they were difficult to look at, like miniature supernovas.

"ANSWER ME," bellowed the six winged angel, "DID YOU MURDER SATANIEL? ARE YOU THE ONE WHO KILLED HIM?!"

The regal woman stood up, tall and straight, and addressed the warrior who was bathed in flames of righteous fury. Emi wondered how Ignora could face a being of such immense power head on without flinching in the slightest.

"Yes," Ignora smiled sadly, unshed tears in her eyes, "I am the one who killed Sataniel."

* * *

Urushihara knew that Gabriel was incredibly powerful. While Michael was the eldest and most powerful of the angels, save Ignora, Gabriel's name meant 'God is my strength' in ancient angelic Ente Islan. It was why he, above all others, was chosen to protect the Tree of Life. His determination and raw might made him far more dangerous than your average guardian angel.

So when Maou swatted away the first strike of Gabriel's blade with the back of his hand, Lucifer's jaw hit the rough stone floor.

Gabriel growled, and swung the heavy sword faster than lightning, aiming to pierce Maou straight through the gut. The attack was so fast that Ashiya very nearly called out to his lord. It was a good thing he didn't, however, for Maou pivoted on his heel, sending the silvery blade right past him. He quickly gripped the blade before Gabriel could attempt to slash him with it, and with a light flick of his wrist, he snapped it clean off at the hilt.

The archangel pouted at the hilt in his hand as Maou smirked and snapped the blade in half over his knee for good measure.

"That was holy silver," Gabriel said quietly, "not even the Devil should be able to touch it for sustained periods of time, no matter how powerful he is."

"I don't think it'll be an issue," Maou smiled, twirling the tip of the broken blade between his fingers with a smirk.

"Yeah, Gabriel, if you were smart, you'd just give up," Urushihara jeered.

"You're outnumbered," Ashiya said grimly, his amber eyes narrowed, "surrender is your most graceful option. The alternatives are far more… fatal."

The two Demon Generals and their King all advanced slowly. On either side of Maou, Ashiya and Urushihara approached with caution. Their hackles were raised, as were their weapons, but Maou appeared quite unaffected. In fact, he looked positively delighted. Even though he still appeared to only be human, the Crown of Sataniel made him feel untouchable. Coupled with Alas-Ramus' power, which was also coursing through his body, Maou felt as though God himself had nothing on him.

Gabriel cast Durendal's hilt to the side and ran a hand through his hair. His smile was false. The look in his eyes was as sharp and deadly as steel as he was pushed back towards the tree, which towered high above him.

"You come into my house… you slaughter my guards, and desecrate this holy ground with your putrid demon filth… and you think you'll live to tell of it?" Gabriel hissed. His grin turned feral and wild. His tongue darted out and wet his lips. His eye flickered between the demons, all of whom now looked deadly serious. "No, I think I'll destroy you all, right now."

"Gabriel, don't be a moron," Maou said, "you're finished. I have the power of Yesod behind me."

"Yesod, huh? Alright then… let's see," Gabriel said thoughtfully. He rested a hand against the smooth stone trunk of the tree, and it quickly sank beneath the surface. Lines of light etched into Gabriel's skin, tracing their way up his arm.

"Not good," Lucifer said.

"Yesod is the Foundation. It lays the groundwork, and holds up the other Sephiroth. However, there is another… the very last, beneath Yesod… It is called Malkut, and is the direct connection between the Tree of Life, and the life that it supports. Normally, Ignora has a pretty tight leash on Malkut. She likes to use him in her experiments, but I'm sure she won't mind me borrowing a bit of his power!"

The lines of silvery light ran across Gabriel's shoulder, up his neck, and into his eyes, which became infused with the strange power. When he laughed, there was another voice behind his, just barely noticeable.

"Behold, I am Malkut, Sephirah of the Kingdom," Gabriel jeered, spreading his arms wide, "and as the keeper of this particular Kingdom… I cast thee vile demons from this sacred place- in the name of Ignora the Almighty!"

With a wide sweep of his arm that looked less like an attack and more like a grand gesture, Gabriel cast out an expanding sphere of white power. Maou erected a barrier around himself, Urushihara, and Ashiya, but the barrier fractured beneath the force of the attack.

"PAPA! NO! DON' HURT MALKUT!" Alas-Ramus shrieked in Maou's head, having suddenly awoken when she sensed Gabriel's power.

With the breaking of Maou's concentration, the barrier shattered. The demons were overtaken by the ethereal light, which blasted them backwards. It took every ounce of Maou's concentration to keep them from being vaporized, which, unfortunately, meant that they were thrown into the stone walls with enough force to shatter the rock beneath them.

"Haha! This is incredible! Now I know why Ignora doesn't allow angels to freely use the power of the Sephiroth! I feel unstoppable!" Gabriel shouted, his arms high over his head as he stared upward.

With each step the angel took, the floor beneath him trembled, as if he weighed several tons. The glow in his eyes, while bright and lacking in malign intent, was eerie, and made him look far less human than he had before. Lines of light flowed over his limbs, tracing his muscles and veins.

"My, my, not so strong now, are you, Demon King?" The angel laughed again, loud and jovial as he towered over Maou. The Demon Lord carefully picked his way out of the smashed wall before brushing off his pants and glaring up at Gabriel.

"Oh, I'm plenty strong," Maou said, grinning just as madly as Gabriel, "and by the way, you hit like a little bitch."

"Such vulgarity," Gabriel giggled menacingly, "you'll have to be annihilated for your discretions."

In a blaze of blinding light, both Gabriel and Maou vanished to parts unknown. Urushihara pulled his head free of the indent it had created, only to lose his strength and fall back into it. With how badly his entire body ached from nearly being torn apart by its individual atoms, just laying against the cold stone outline he'd made felt wonderful.

"So… lame," Urushihara grumbled, "he left without us."

Ashiya heaved a sigh and muttered, "How many fights has his majesty had to sit out because he was confined to the sidelines? Let us consider this a chance to rest. The odds of us being able to keep up with them in our current states are laughable."

"But the Tree is unguarded… couldn't we just-"

"Not without being destroyed. The Sephiroth are still under the control of Ignora. No doubt there are defenses in place to keep us from utilizing the power of the Fruit. And besides, they aren't just power suits that we can strap on… they're alive."

They laid in silence. Above them, the ceiling shook. Somewhere, someone's battle was becoming more and more intense.

"It's kinda pretty," Urushihara decided finally, "the Tree, I mean. From where I'm lying it looks sort of… peaceful. Calming."

"That it does," Ashiya agreed, smirking as he stared up the glowing lights, stone branches, and enormous golden apples.


	41. The Devil and the Hero: Heaven's Fall

Normally, Maou would hesitate to take on an archangel powered by the embodiment of all sovereignty. He would shrug and slink away as regally as he could so that he might live to fight another day. After nearly having both Lucifer and Alciel torn to shreds by a single attack, however, he felt it would be best to take the fight elsewhere. It also meant that he could undo all the constraints on the Sataniel's Crown, and utilize Alas-Ramus' power to the fullest.

The castle, as it turns out, was enormous. Miles and miles of marble hallways went in every direction, and there were dozens of floors, each with dozens of courtrooms, antechambers, foyers, and halls, so the Demon Lord's battle against Gabriel didn't even have to go outside. They fought inside the castle, moving so quickly that no one even knew what was going on. The only telltale signs of a struggle were the explosions, and the crumbling ruins left in their wake.

On the first floor, there was a laboratory. It was generally used for apprentices and dabblers in alchemy. I say 'was' because in the dead silence of the evacuated lab, two powerful beings appeared from thin air, clashed in an epic battle of might, and then vanished. The lab was destroyed in less than a millisecond. Glass beakers shattered. Fires were slowly flickering out of existence as the energies that had fed them vanished to another part of the castle. The broken marble walls were charred and blackened. So went the battle between Maou and Gabriel.

The archangel would vaporize, and reappear in another part of the castle. Maou was on his tail every step of the way. One moment, a grand ballroom would be ready for a posh soiree, and the next- BOOM! No more ballroom. An enormous chapel, replete with glorious works of art and plentiful altars at which to pray would be waiting for a lost soul and then- BANG! No more church.

As soon as the Devil and the Archangel met in the same room, the energies between them seemed to harmonize and then turn bitter. With each meeting, Maou felt Alas-Ramus cringe. Within his mind, he heard her quietly weeping to herself. He did his best to try and comfort her, and protect her from feeling the recoil whenever he struck at Gabriel, but with how hard he had to concentrate, it was all he could do to keep from being flayed alive. The archangel had taken more than a fragment of Malkut. That was for damn sure.

The only thing keeping Maou from being eviscerated was the Crown. When Alas-Ramus' power fell short, the nigh limitless demon magic within it kept him on level ground with the archangel, who looked more and more perplexed with each strike Maou managed to block.

One instant they were in a courtyard, where the sky could be seen. The next, they were in a lab that was so bright it hurt Maou's eyes, and still he fought.

"I'm amazed you can keep up, Demon King," Gabriel howled over the wind rushing in their ears.

"I'm amazed you still think you can beat me!" Maou shouted in response.

"I possess the Sephirah of Sovereignty!"

"All I have is my daughter, and this halo on my head… but I'm still gonna kick your ass!"

BOOM- a dining hall was destroyed. BANG- there went an armory. WHOOSH-

Maou began to lose track of where he was. The places all blurred as their battle picked up in tempo. Their strikes were faster. Their limits were being reached. Maou summoned a raging scarlet blade of energy. Gabriel created a scimitar of silvery power. The blades met, and a shockwave of energy expanded. Neither the Demon King nor his opponent vanished. They stayed in one place. The power they released levelled walls, and obliterated pillars and supports. For a moment, Maou and Gabriel hung in midair, surrounded by no less than one hundred meters of debris and rubble in any direction. It almost looked as though someone had taken a giant ice cream scoop right out of the building.

And then, as buildings often do when copious amounts of structural damage have been done, the palace around Maou and Gabriel began to crumble and cave in, choking the air with thick clouds of white dust and several thousand tons of marble as the Demon King and the Archangel were buried beneath the wreckage of an entire wing of the palace, which hadn't suffered that much damage in millennia, even during the Incident.

* * *

"So, Rika, you know the formula, right? Do you have any idea what is it we're making, exactly?" Chiho wondered quietly as she passed the woman another dusty glass vial.

"From the understanding I gained from Lailah, I think it's similar to the alchemical formula to create synthetic dark matter. She thought that Sataniel was trying to create negative energy in hopes of naturally creating holy magic… I guess the experiment was unstable, though, so Lailah was going to add something to nullify the explosive reaction."

Rika poured a few droplets of extraordinarily dark, viscous fluid into a large crystal mortar while Chiho worked the pestle. The substance within the mortar was so black it made the darkness around them look like a pale imitator.

"Ok, maybe we should add the stabilizer now… it looks sort of dark matter-y," Chiho prompted. She looked to Rika to verify, as the older woman was gifted with the knowledge of the formula itself.

"I think you're right," Rika sighed, "but there's just one problem… I have no idea what would be a good stabilizer for dark matter."

"Wha- you mean Lailah didn't have any ideas?!"

"If she did, she didn't give them to me… I'm assuming it's something contradictory to dark matter so… I don't know, is there such thing as light matter?"

"Uh… there's light," Chiho said.

"Ok, so should we throw a candle in there or something? Or a lit match?"

"Do you really think that would work?"

"I'm just throwing out ideas," Rika said. "I'm not sure I was cut out for lab work! I can add ingredients and follow directions, but finding the direct negative of dark matter is sort of above my pay grade!"

Chiho couldn't blame Rika for raising her voice. She was just as scared as Rika, and she knew that things were going badly. She could hear the echoes of battle in the distance, and rumblings of incredible powers as they unleashed.

"What about that light Lailah made with magic?" Chiho asked. "Do you think that might work?"

"Chiho, you're a genius!" Rika cried, "We'll make one of those lights with holy magic and put it in… with any luck, that might stabilize it!"

"Ok, I'll work on making the light, you hurry and try to finish the-"

The high schooler didn't get to finish her sentence. At the far end of the lab, which stretched on into endless shadows, there was an enormous explosion, and the darkness gave way to a visual of Maou and an angel, locked in a struggle of life and death. It was almost as though an invisible giant had suddenly taken a bite out of the laboratory.

"I-it's Maou," Chiho stammered, awed by the incredible pressure that he exuded.

"Get down," Rika hissed, tackling Chiho out of the angel's line of sight.

As soon as the girls hit the floor, a rumbling was heard. The sound of cascading rubble and crumbling stone echoed loudly in the dim light of the lab. After a few moments, the sound was dulled, and they chanced a peek over the counter they had ducked behind, only to find that the far section of the room was dark once again, and blocked off with a mountain of marble rubble.

"MAOU!" Chiho cried. She made to dash away from the altar, but Rika was too quick. She pounced upon the high school girl and threw a hand over her mouth.

"They could still be out there," muttered Rika, "you have to calm down, Chi!"

"Mmmhmmfmfmfmf," Chiho replied, sobbing into Rika's palm.

More rumblings were heard, like a mountain, and through it all, a scream emerged. It was not the sound of despair, nor was it human. It sounded like an ancient monster, rising from its slumber. It was angry, it was terrifying, and strangest of all, it made Chiho smile.

"It's Maou," she whispered as Rika took her hand from her mouth, "it has to be… that demon magic…"

It was like nails on a chalkboard, and dozens of scaly reptiles crawling across her flesh. The magic Maou exuded was terrifying, and even through the magically fortified stone walls, Chiho could feel herself growing faint. It still made her smile, though, for it meant that Maou was alive, and his strength, from what she could glean, was not fettered in the slightest.

"Come on, we have to finish the experiment," Chiho said quickly, helping Rika to her feet.

* * *

Emi had a hard time figuring out how she was supposed to defeat a Seraph with no sword, severely diminished powers, and no help from her friends. Then a second one appeared, and she had officially labelled herself a goner.

Until he spoke, anyway.

"IGNORA! I TIRE OF YOUR LIES! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME YOU HAD KILLED SATANIEL?! WHY DID YOU LET ME THINK HE MIGHT STILL BE ALIVE?!"

"Because it is my duty as the Steward of Heaven to keep our family together. Though you are the eldest, you are far from the most level headed. Just look at you, Michael! You're singing my notes," Ignora exclaimed, gesturing at the leaflets of parchment that fluttered around, quickly blackening around the edges as Michael's fury burned them.

"YOU MURDERED YOUR HUSBAND- MY BEST FRIEND- AND YOU'RE WORRIED ABOUT YOUR NOTES?!"

Michael drew his claymore and split one of the marble altars in half as though it were made of butter. As the blade slid home, the altar shattered and exploded from the raw power of the Seraph, sending shards of glass and marble in all directions. A stray vial fractured, and a piece struck Emi's cheek, leaving a line of red that began to bleed. Ignora's eye twitched as Michael stared her down. His chest rose and fell as he frowned at her, his mouth a thin line as a vein in his temple throbbed.

"As you know, my research-"

"TO THE DEPTHS OF TARTARUS WITH YOUR RESEARCH! IT DOES US NO GOOD TO TRY AND CREATE LIMITLESS MAGIC! THE DEAD MAY WALK, BUT YOU HAVE NO MEANS OF BRINGING BACK THEIR SOULS! THEY ARE PUPPETS ON YOUR STRING, AS IS EVERY PERSON IN THIS MAKESHIFT UTOPIA!" Michael shouted. Tears ran from the corners of his eyes, and his arms shook, though Emi suspected it wasn't because he was getting tired. On the contrary, he seemed to be getting even angrier.

"Souls can be reclaimed! It will take time, but with enough power, I could-"

"NO! YOU CAN'T! YOU CALL _ME_ THE OPPOSITE OF LEVEL HEADED, BUT _YOU_ ARE THE ONE WHO HAS YET TO FACE FACTS! WE ARE NOT GODS! WE MAY LIVE INDEFINATELY, BUT TIME WILL TAKE US ALL! NONE ARE ABOVE DEATH, AND THOSE WHO DIE CANNOT BE BROUGHT BACK! YOU HAVE TO ACCEPT THAT YOU CANNOT UNDO WHAT YOU HAVE DONE! YOU MUST LIVE WITH THE CONSEQUENCES OF YOUR ACTIONS, FOREVER AND ALWAYS! WE WILL NEVER BE AS WE ONCE WERE!"

It was Ignora's turn to scowl, and her glare was far colder than anything Emi had seen. Somehow, Michael managed not to freeze from that single glance.

"It sounds to me like _you_ are the one in need of a rude awakening," Ignora said, stepping closer to her brother, " _you_ are the one who must live with your actions… how many innocents have you killed because of your wounded ego? How many years have you refused to lift a finger when others needed you? How many times have I let your insubordination slide because you were my brother? You are supposed to be the eldest angel created by the Lord, the strongest among us, and yet you hide away from the world, tending to your garden, practicing useless crafts, and training endlessly. At one time, you were a respected warrior… now you are a blubbering fool. I cannot believe that losing a friend would make you such a reclusive weakling. Sataniel would be ashamed to see you go to pieces like this."

"Perhaps he would," Michael seethed quietly, his voice now little more than a deathly whisper, "but I'll never know, because you murdered him. You murdered by best friend, the Steward of Heaven. For your crimes, as numerous and grisly as they are, I hereby act as the true Steward of Heaven, and assign myself as your judge, jury, and executioner. You'll die for your discretions, Ignora. The lie you've kept us all living needs to end."

As the angels spoke, Emi quietly backed away. It was clear that tension in the room would be coming to a head soon, and she had to try and keep her father and Suzuno out of the line of fire. Suzuno was still flung back against the marble wall, but Nord was closer to the angels, and surrounded by the debris of the altar Michael had destroyed.

"You think you're any better than me?" Ignora hissed venomously.

Emi managed to work her way behind Ignora, and crept over to her father. If she could get him and Suzuno to a far corner of the lab, or perhaps back through the hall to the throne room, they might be ok.

"I am not," Michael rebutted, "in fact, I may be far worse. I allowed you to do as you pleased. I ignored the signs of your evil, and your crimes against humanity. I followed your orders without question. I believed you to be the best of us, even when I knew something was off about you. In a sense, I am as much to blame for all of this as you."

Nord was heavy, especially now that Emi had been stripped of her usual strength, but she dragged him back against the wall by Suzuno, only to pause. Suzuno was face down, but a small pool of blood had gathered under her. Emi turned the inquisitor over, finding a gash on her temple. She was still alive, though she looked extremely pale.

"I did what I had to do," Ignora snipped.

"No, you didn't. You just did whatever you deemed necessary to maintain the illusion of power. We aren't even really angels. You lied to everyone, letting them think that God would come and save them. You let them believe that they were acting in his name. In reality, they were just following you, doing as you told them, and for what? So you could have unlimited magic? So you could keep up appearances? The others aren't old enough to remember, but I know how you used to look. You're getting older, Ignora. Heaven is running out of magic. The Tree is dying."

"You think I don't know that? Of course I know the Tree is dying! Why do you think I've been looking for unlimited magic? Why do you think I've been sending out so many of our finest Archangels? We need every little scrap of power we can get! I just need more time! I'm so close!"

"It's OVER," Michael roared, "you are DONE! Give up! Acknowledge your failure, and surrender peacefully!"

"I WON'T LET YOU," Ignora screamed, "I WON'T LET YOU RUIN ALL THAT I'VE WORKED FOR! EVERYTHING I'VE DONE, I'VE DONE FOR YOU, ME, AND EVERYONE! I HAVE KEPT OUR FAMILY TOGETHER FOR CENTURIES! I'VE SACRIFICED HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF LIVES TO KEEP US SAFE! I'VE SPENT COUNTLESS HOURS POURING OVER MILLIONS OF TEXTS, ALL SO THAT I COULD MAKE THINGS BETTER! YOU OF ALL PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW THAT SACRIFICE IS NECESSARY! SOME ENDS ARE WORTH ANY PRICE!"

"THAT'S WRONG-"

Emi began to lose track of the arguing, but the hysterics of the two angels were still loud in her ears as she painstakingly dragged Suzuno and Nord out of the lab, and into the dark corridor. Her arms and legs burned. The hallway seemed much longer than it had been on the way in, and with each step, she felt as though she might collapse. Blood dripped onto her collarbone from her cheek. Her dad's hand was cold and clammy in hers, as was Suzuno's. She tried not to think about how she might be dragging their lifeless corpses along. She tried to hope that they would be ok. She thought about Maou. She thought about Lailah. She thought about all of her friends, and tears came to her eyes.

'I don't really see a way out of this,' Emi thought.

She'd witnessed the power of the Seraph for herself. If things came to blows, she doubted the palace would be able to hold up during their battle. She, and everyone else, would be buried alive. With no Yesod fragment, no holy sword, and very little energy, Emi couldn't do anything. She would be unable to save her friends.

She came into the light of the throne room as the floor beneath her began to quake. From behind her, she heard shouts and screams. A blast of heat came through the tunnel she'd just escaped, and the smell of an inferno wafted out of it. If she had to guess, the entire lab was in flames.

Emi looked around, but there was no where she could go. No matter where she went, marble bricks the size of cars hung above her head. She would be crushed. She turned and saw the throne, and the alcove it sat in. It was a longshot, but it looked to be tucked back far enough that the ceiling might not fall on her. One foot after another, she slowly made her way into the alcove, where she dragged Suzuno and Nord into a corner, behind the throne.

Emi felt everything begin to fall away from her. The pain was receding. Her vision was dimming. The echoes of battle in her ears were growing faint. Fire roared out of the hallway leading to the lab, but Emi paid it little attention. She caressed both Suzuno and Nord. Neither of them were looking good. She was so tired she wasn't even sure they had heartbeats. For all she knew, she was clutching two dead people to her chest. Lines of tears ran from Emi's eyes. Death was certain for her- for all her friends. She began to cry. The world continued to grow distant. Emi felt herself losing consciousness, but the tears would not stop. Still, she quietly wept, and as she succumbed to her exhaustion and despair, she saw great cracks form in the ceiling. Marble shards began to fall, growing ever larger as Heaven began to crash down around her. The last thing she remembered was wishing for things to go back to the way they were… and then, there was only darkness.

* * *

In another part of the castle, only a few short minutes prior to the collapse, the Devil had risen, and in the heart of Heaven, no less.

Or, he had almost risen.

In truth, Maou had fully released the power in the Crown of Sataniel. He once again had horns, stood nine feet tall, and his eyes were solid red, with no visible irises…

On the downside, something of the angelic power still remained within the halo, for instead of furry goat legs, the Demon King had human legs and genitals…

And unfortunately, his super durable underwear could not stand up to the full might of the Crown.

So when he pushed himself up from beneath the rubble, a massive boulder raised over his head to smite Gabriel, the Archangel blanched.

"N-n-n-n-n-n-n," Gabriel stammered, pointing at Maou.

"I'm about to go ham on your ass," Maou growled in a deep voice as he gnashed his fangs together, "what's your problem?"

"N-n-n-n-NAKED!"

"Fuck," Maou shouted, dropping the boulder, which struck his horn and shattered into rubble.

The Devil quickly covered himself, but the damage was already done. Gabriel was on all fours throwing up, and from the sound of it, he couldn't stop.

"Uh… you ok, man?" Maou asked.

"No- BLARRGHGGHGHGHHG!"

The sound of retching and gagging made Maou a little queasy, himself, but he kept his cool. He had finally gotten up the nerve to unleash his full might- a feat that had very nearly destroyed him… and his opponent was now unwilling to fight. He felt cheated, to say the least.

"I'm sorry, but I can't- urrrrrrgh. I can't fight you when you're- BLAAAAARRRGHG… naked," Gabriel grumbled.

He wiped his mouth and pushed himself up, but he kept his eyes averted as he waited for Maou to dress himself. The Demon King almost felt compelled to press the advantage and attack in his birthday suit, but it was a double edged sword. With no clothes on, Little Satan was more vulnerable than ever to an attack. One slice of a sword would be all it took to lose his manhood, and the Hero wouldn't be able to give it back, this time.

Maou groaned and rolled his eyes, which was kind of impressive, given that they were still completely scarlet. His black aura solidified around him, and he was quickly swathed in a silky black toga that fell to his knees, and was cinched in place with a golden sash about his waist. To add a hint of style, he also added a waist length black cape, which he wore on his left shoulder, and a pair of black leather boots. It was a little improvised, but he felt better for the protection the boots offered. The cape, on the other hand, was pure showmanship.

"Alright, are you ready for this? I'm gonna tear that Sephirah out of you and beat you with it!"

'Papa, be nice to Malkut!'

"Fine," Maou grumbled.

"It wouldn't be polite of me to hold back," Gabriel said, "so how about we finish this?!"

The archangel was outlined in an ethereal glow. His eyes grew so bright they were like spotlights. Every muscle within him tensed as he prepared for his final attack.

"I agree… let's test the power of the Sephirah against the might of the Devil!"

Maou tensed and focused his power. A cloud of darkness surrounded him, but his eyes remained bloodred as he stared at the archangel. The forces of good and evil were about to clash, and the color schemes could not be more confusing. Maou mentally put Alas-Ramus to sleep. She didn't need to see what he planned to do to Gabriel.

"Have at you, Demon King!"

"Burn in hell, you bastard!"

The two beings vanished, only to reappear a moment later, the distance between them gone. They stood, frozen, wrapped in an impromptu hug. The only thing that made it seem grim was the broken marble all around them, and the steady drip of blood pouring from a grievous wound.

Maou, the Demon King, shuddered as he felt blood drain out of him. It ran down and stained his toga, turning the black silk even darker. But this didn't stop him from smiling evilly.

"You got me," Maou muttered.

Gabriel let loose a strangle choke, but ended up coughing up blood. He struggled to breath. He had managed to slash Maou across his abdomen with a small silver blade he kept on his person, but in the moment he had…

The archangel looked down, only to find the Devil's forearm protruding from his chest. Maou had shoved his hand clear through the angel, who felt himself weakening.

"You… stole…" Gabriel gurgled through the blood in his throat.

Maou flashed a grin and pulled his arm free, causing Gabriel to gasp and collapse. In the Devil's hand was a glimmering amber gemstone. It was so bright and vibrant that it was as close to gold as Maou thought a gemstone could be. The power it radiated was immense. As Gabriel spluttered and bled out, he raised a hand, reaching up in a feeble attempt to reclaim it.

"Stole… Seph..iroth…"

The hand fell, and as Maou admired the stone, he heard the sounds of a great battle. He tensed, preparing to spring into action, and then the rest of the castle- or, at least, the parts he hadn't already destroyed- crumbled and began to fall.

"No," Maou said quietly, "no, no, NO! NOOOOO!"

His gut clenched, and Maou fell to his knees as he realized that everyone would likely be killed by the falling debris. His strength left him. His demonic magic was stripped away in a matter moments. His body turned human once more. His head grew dull, and before the Demon King could fully grasp his predicament, or heal his injury, he fell forward. All around him, the castle turned to ruin, and his body was lost to the rubble, leaving him in darkness as well.

* * *

Rika and Chiho knew that things were getting out of hand. They could sense four incredible powers, each as terrifying as the last. Three of them were overwhelming holy magic. Only was demonic, and even then, it seemed to pale in comparison to the other three. Chiho didn't want to think it, but she felt as though their time was running out. Rika stood at the mortar and pestle, and her hands were shaking so hard she was having a tough time preparing the mixture.

"I think it's ready," Rika said quietly.

"Ok, let's stabilize it."

"Wait…"

Rika gripped Chiho's hand in hers. The older woman's eyes were filled with tears. She pulled Chiho into a hug, and the high schooler blushed.

"Chiho, you've been a great friend, and I love you… I hope you know that," Rika said.

"I love you, too," Chiho replied, returning the hug. The girls rocked back and forth until another sound echoed from the hall outside. Someone was approaching.

"Let's do it," Chiho whispered, holding a hand over the mortar as the door to the lab burst open. Raphael and Sariel both stood there, staring at the girls with unseeing eyes.

Rika stood there, shocked and terrified as the two men began to approach the altars. Chiho elbowed her in the ribs.

"Come on," she muttered, "we have to say the words!"

"Huh?"

"The incantation! The one Lailah put in our minds!"

"Right!"

Raphael drew a sword. Sariel produced his scythe. Together they advanced. Chiho and Rika began to speak quietly under their breath. They closed their eyes, trying to ignore the thudding of quick footsteps. Their tongues felt thick as they blazed through the incantation. Somehow, they managed to speak it perfectly, though they'd never practiced it. The words rang with mysterious power, and though they sounded foreign, Chiho and Rika could understand their meaning. It was a sort of prayer, directed towards the Sephiroth, and a plea for their forgiveness and mercy, while simultaneously begging for their aid.

Chiho felt a hand clench around her wrist just as she finished speaking. Power shot through her body, and she felt goosebumps rise on her arms. The hand that had grabbed her quickly released its hold. She opened her eyes, and found Raphael staring at her. His hand was blacked and decayed, as though touching Chiho had undone the power that kept him young. Chiho looked at Rika, and found that Sariel had tried to cleave her in half at the waist, but his blade had severed her clothes and stopped at the flesh, as though it had hit concrete. The blade of the scythe had chipped and fractured. Rika looked up at Chiho, terror in her eyes as the building around them shook.

The air itself reverberated. Raphael and Sariel both backed away from the women. As one, they began to decay. Their skin turned to ash, and their bones followed suit soon after, leaving two dust colored piles of bone meal on the floor.

'We hear you, Chiho Sasaki, and Rika Suzuki,' said a plethora of voices.

"Wha-what was that," Rika asked, looking horrified as tears ran from her eyes.

'We hear you. We see your hearts, pure and innocent, and we will bestow upon you the greatest gift we can give- unlimited magical power.' The voice that spoke was male, deep, and incredibly ancient.

'There are two vessels,' another voice said, this one a woman's, 'one for holy magic, and another for demonic magic.'

The building was shaking. Chiho could hear someone shouting, but she wasn't sure who. Cracks appeared on the walls and floor. In the distance, the castle rumbled as it collapsed. Soon, the floor would give way, and Rika and Chiho would fall to their deaths.

"So we did it?" Rika asked.

'Yes. You have saved all you have tried to save,' said the first voice, 'but the consequences will not be as you expected. You will lose far more than you ever imagined. More than any amount of magic could ever replace. I am sorry.'

Chiho's gut twisted into knots as she found herself thinking of her friends. That scream she had heard… It must've been Maou. She felt tears come to her eyes as she lamented everything. Her fears were coming to life. Her mother and father would live their lives wondering where she went… it was almost too much for her to bear.

She felt a hand in her own. Rika had taken her hand. Chiho stared in awe as Rika smiled. Tears stained her face, but she kept herself smiling as she cried. The sound of the floors beneath them caving in almost drowned out Rika's words.

"We did it, Chi," she said quietly, squeezing the high schooler's hand. "We saved the world."

Chiho mustered a smile, too. She felt it might break at any moment, but she wiped her eyes with the back of her other hand and nodded.

"Yeah," she agreed, "we did."

And the floor beneath them caved, causing Rika and Chiho to fall into the darkness below.


	42. The Devil and the Hero: Showtime!

One month later, a great calamity rose in the Saint Aire Empire. The Church officially declared Heaven to have been destroyed, along with every angel that ever existed. It was a terrifying prospect, and coupled with all the other recent goings on in Ente Isla, it was no surprise that madmen roamed the streets, proclaiming the end of days.

Magicians in Ente Isla were completely out of magic power. Magic, which had once been a staple of society, had collapsed completely. No one knew why, and nothing was safe. All of the magic in the world was gone, and nothing anyone did seemed to change that.

And finally, a great force of demons had risen from out of nowhere, and had begun to march on the capital of the Holy Saint Aire Empire. Scouts reported that they marched nonstop, day and night, and numbered in the thousands. With no magical protection, everyone in the city would be exposed to the attack.

So when senile old men proclaiming to be prophets announced the end of the world, people weren't all that skeptical. Martial law was put into effect to prevent massive riots and discord. Communication between kingdoms had been completely cut off due to multiple crises arising.

The stage was set for the final showdown in the sprawling courtyard just inside the gates of the capital, and the last piece of the puzzle was about to drop into place. The only people who were aware of what was about to happen were a tall, blonde man with golden eyes, and his two female accomplices. One was shorter, with shoulder length light auburn hair, a sunny smile, and eyes that seemed to glow the color of the sky.

This was Chiho Sasaki.

She was dressed in a fine azure tunic with golden embroidery. Her dark breeches were clean and unmarked, and her knee high leather boots were brightly polished, with not a single scuff in the leather. A thin silver blade hung from her hip. All in all, she appeared to be a minor noble.

The other woman was a bit taller than Chiho, and a few years older. Her short brown hair had gotten longer, and her stomach now protruded slightly from pregnancy. Her eyes were the color of rubies.

This was Rika Suzuki.

She was dressed in a dark red blouse with loose sleeves that were rolled up to her elbows. Her black breeches were just as clean as Chiho's, as were her comfortably padded boots, which were designed to provide support for the pregnant woman's spine. Though she was pregnant, it would appear odd if she were not armed, and a golden hilted rapier hung from her sword belt, which was done quite loosely about her waist.

The man between them, and the father of Rika's child, was Ashiya, otherwise known as Alciel, the Demon General.

He wore a fine tunic of forest green, black leather breeches with silver studs, and a pair of brown leather gloves that matched his boots. On his hip he carried a finely crafted longsword, and on his back he wore a shield bearing a false coat of arms. All three were disguised as nobles, as they had been for months in order to maintain a presence in the city. Current intelligence was needed for the plan to go off without a hitch.

"A full month of planning and preparations," he muttered to himself, sounding rather tired, "I certainly hope this all plays out as you say it will."

Chiho smiled. Ever since Heaven had been destroyed, she had changed. Her maturity, which she had often been praised for back on Earth, was now downright chilling. Her confidence had skyrocketed, and her eyes had changed color, as they had been brown before she had performed the ritual with Rika.

"I know it will," she said simply.

Ashiya knew better than to question her. Rika smiled and took Ashiya's hand. He tried to mimic her cheerful serenity, but his amber eyes met her red ones, and he felt strange.

Rika had changed, as well. Her eyes, her demeanor, everything about her was more… refined. She looked and acted so confident, it was hard to cope with. Ashiya couldn't help but wonder what would happen to the child, or if it would be affected by Rika's… condition.

In short, Rika and Chiho had become something more than they were before. In the instant they were freed of Gabriel's and Ignora's influence, the Sephiroth had answered Chiho's and Rika's plea for help. They stripped all of Ente Isla of its magic, and stored it within the women whose hearts they had deemed pure.

Rika played host to all the demonic magic that had ever existed, and ever would exist. She was a vessel of unlimited demonic magic, essentially making her a god. Chiho, on the other hand, had been made the vessel of all holy magic in existence, and like Rika, was now something far beyond a human, angel, or demon.

With both moons drained of their power, and with their inhabitants mysteriously disappearing, the Sephiroth assured Chiho and Rika that the world would soon begin to turn itself around, and humans could begin to advance. The Tree of Life, which had taken root on the moon, would be able to grow without restriction.

But what of the angels and demons?

After Heaven had fallen, the remaining angels were given a choice. Either live in peace with the humans of Ente Isla, or be left in the ruins of their former society to slowly waste away amongst the moondust. Those who went with Chiho Sasaki were cast into Ente Isla, where they could blend with humans and live out the remainder of their days. Many chose not to go, and they stayed amidst the ruins of Heaven, which had fallen from the sky. With no magic, and no way to leave, they were condemned to a slow death of starvation and madness, clawing at the rubble of their former glory.

The demons of the red moon, however, were given no such choice by Rika Suzuki. As a result, she cast them all to Ente Isla. Some became little more than animals capable of speech, while the more powerful demons became human.

All of the demons in existence only numbered in the thousands, and had begun to march on the capital, under the banner of the Unified Demon's Militia.

They would be arriving on that very day, according to their inside man, who had managed to worm his way into the upper echelons of the newest demon army.

"I certainly hope you're right," Ashiya sighed.

The three of them were standing next to a large raised stone platform. It was long, and a more solid stage could not be asked for. It had been intended to be used as a foundation for a great statue. Construction of the monument had been delayed, however, as times of crisis were not the best times in which to raise giant statues of oneself. The Emperor was far from pleased.

"Any news from the Lightbringer?" asked a quiet voice.

From seemingly out of nowhere, a short woman in heavy church robes appeared before the trio. Throwing back her hood, she revealed herself to be none other than Suzuno, who had been helping to steer the church in the right direction after all hell had broken loose in the Theocracy.

"Inquisitor," Ashiya said, nodding to the woman as she leaned against the wall on Chiho's other side.

"It's 'Cardinal' now," Suzuno said. "I have been working my way up rather quickly. Now tell me, how is Urushihara?"

"He's apparently taken on the role of personal advisor for the leader of the United Demon's Militia," Ashiya explained.

"And what of Sadao and Emi?"

"We want them to stand out," Rika grinned, "so we'll be allowing them to use magic for their entrances."

"I suppose the more people see them, the harder it will be to dispute their deaths," Suzuno reasoned.

The sun rose high as the day matured. Noon came and went as birds flitted overhead, chirping cheerfully. As they waited, Suzuno and the others made small talk. In the month that had passed since Heaven's collapse, the group hadn't come together as a whole, or even seen very much of each other. It was off-putting to be thrust back into their old lives, and stranger still that nothing seemed the same as it had once been.

The sun slowly began to sink, and cast down spears of gorgeous pink, orange, and red light. The sounds of the great city began to slow as men and women began to end their daily toils. Armed guards began to roam the streets in droves. At the gates, a force slowly began to amass.

The stench of human fear was thick in Ashiya's nostrils. It was an odd sensation to no longer recover his magic as he once had. He stared at the gathering of guardsmen, listening to their whispers with ears far sharper than any humans.

"Strange reports of animals flocking to the demons-"

"Their numbers have grown substantially-"

"How did they all appear out of nowhere?"

Ashiya noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned to find Rika staring quite intently at the great fortified portcullis barring entry into the city. Her eyes were wide, and she looked like she was shaking.

"The demons are here," she said quietly.

Far from sounding frightened, Rika seemed… ecstatic. Exuberant, even. The presence of so many demons made her feel incredible. All of the magic within her seemed to rise and pull towards the army of demons, like dogs on a leash remembering their old masters. Rika smiled as she held the immense power in check.

"Then it seems the time has come," Suzuno muttered. She pulled up her hood and hurried away into the crowd, which was filled with valiant knights, frightened guardsmen, and even a few civilian men and women with makeshift weapons. Behind the frontline, spectators had gathered. Upon closer inspection, they wore the finery of nobles, and their noses were all held high in the air.

"Aristocrats," Ashiya muttered, "do they intend to negotiate?"

"The demons are here," cried a scout from the walls, "they come bearing a white flag of truce! And… by Ignora… there are humans among them! Open the gates, they have hostages!"

The portcullis was raised, and the great iron fortified gates swung wide. From within the darkness beneath the wall came the sound of raucous cries, like someone was marching a zoo into the city. At the forefront came a long line of humans. They were not bound or gagged, and they held their heads high in the air. Their clothes were a sort of mix and match variety, as though they had stolen bits and pieces of their outfits from various towns, villages, and farms they had passed.

One human amongst them, though, stood out like a sore thumb.

He had violet hair that had grown longer over the last month, and now curled down his shoulders quite magnificently. Unlike his associates, his outfit was slim fitting, black, and extraordinarily clean. His lilac eyes were alight with mischief, and his mouth was curled into a snide grin. Suzuno watched this man carefully from within the shadows, her heart hammering as she noticed how much he had changed since they're last seen each other. Something about him seemed different, and he looked as though he'd packed on some muscle. He wore a single golden earring in his right ear, and a long black katana hung from his hip.

But no matter how different he seemed, Suzuno knew it was him.

"Morningstar," she murmured wondrously.

Almost as if he had heard her, his eyes flicked in her direction. He stared for a moment, as though he could see clear through the darkness under her hood. Suzuno stared back, fighting the urge to run out and wrap him in a hug. She felt tears in her eyes as her worries and stress melted away.

Lucifer took a step forward and muttered into someone's ear. The person in question was nearly seven feet tall, solid muscle, and scarred quite heavily, as though he spent his days fighting for survival. He had the look of a lion surveying his pride as he looked out over the demons all around him, now in the shapes of animals and humans due to their lack of magic.

The man's hair was long and matted, but it framed his head in such a way that he looked to have a lion's mane. As Lucifer stood on tiptoe to speak to the man, a grin spread across his face, revealing sharp teeth.

The grizzled man turned to look at the human nobles. Despite the wall of heavily armed soldiers between them, the nobles shook in their boots.

"I am Vain," he called, immediately silencing everyone, even the animals, "and I am the leader of the United Demon's Militia, and the new Demon King! Behold my Kingdom!"

As if to emphasize his words, the animals picked up their violent cries. Crows cawed, wolves howled, minotaurs bellowed, and the humans roared, sending up a warcry. The one who called himself Vain smirked as the blood drained from the faces of the nobles. Ashiya felt his anger build.

"Tch, this is an affront to his majesty," Ashiya muttered so quietly that only Rika and Chiho could hear him. Rika hooked her arm through Ashiya's, and smiled at him. In the face of her quiet happiness, Ashiya could o little more than sheathe his rage and anger.

'Goodness, she knows just how to calm me down,' Ashiya thought, sure that he had picked the right woman to spend his life with.

Above the ruckus rose a rather wispy voice, as though the speaker spent most of his time in musty rooms, reading dusty tomes, and smoking fine cigars.

"We know what you are, demon. If you speak for your kind, then we ask that you tell us what your goals are in coming here! This is a bad time for demons to waltz into our midst unannounced, and his lordship cannot afford such distraction!"

The man hollering was dressed in burgundy linens, which were clean and well kept. His white mustache was yellowed with the taint of tobacco, and his eyes were watery and narrowed, like those of a domesticated housecat, though the darkness within them spoke of a well-hidden intellect.

"A distraction? You call the entirety of the demon race on your doorstep a DISTRACTION?!"

Vain roared, and within his cry the sound of a lion could be heard. The long black claws on the tips of his fingers gleamed in the setting sun as he hunched over. Every muscle in his body was tensed. A silence fell over the demons, and they all stared intently at the man who had insulted Vain's pride. It was odd for animals to be so silent, and to watch people so closely.

The birds did not peck and scratch. The wolves were not skittish. No one dared moved as the entirety of the United Demon's Militia waited for the order to attack.

The sound of a single sword being drawn from its sheathe was loud in everyone's ears. Puzzled, every eye on the scene turned to survey the lone source of the noise. It was Lucifer, who had drawn his katana. With a single swing, he lopped the head clean off of Vain. The demons all stared in incredulity. Urushihara smiled gleefully, flecks of blood painting his face as he smirked.

"Looks like Vain's dead," he muttered dryly, wiping the blood from his sword on his pocket square, which he tossed onto Vain's twitching corpse, "and we'll be needing a new leader."

Just then, a portal appeared. Magic, which had been wiped from existence, suddenly came to be once more. Demons and humans alike gawked at the display, woefully aware of their lack of magic as someone long thought to be dead stepped through the Gate.

"I think I can fill that role," Maou called out, his hands on his hips as he reestablished himself as the King of Demons.

He was nine feet tall, with dark clothes and a cape with large leather pauldrons. His feet were cloven hooves. One of his horns was nearly gone, severed by the Hero in their battle almost three years ago. His cape flapped gloriously in the wind. From the crowd of demons, a great cheer arose. His people remembered him as a kind, fair ruler. They remembered his quest to give them a place they could belong. They remembered his charisma and passion. Somewhere in the heart of all demons, memories of the Demon King Satan Jacob stirred memories of hope.

Maou was standing upon the great stone foundation which had originally been meant for the aforementioned statue, so he was well within sight of the nobles, demons, and anyone who happened to be in the vicinity. The sight of him set the lesser nobles running, crying for their mothers as they fled his awesome power. Everyone looked to him with some level of reverence. Magic in Ente Isla was completely drained. How had the Devil used it to conjure a portal?!

Rika smiled. As the vessel of all demonic power in existence, she was also able to transfer power. The Sephiroth had given her the ability to effectively turn off a demon's magical abilities with the flick of a switch. Normally, she would refrain from allowing any demon in the world to wield magic, as it was a hindrance to human progression… but the plan did not call for Maou to stay in Ente Isla. In fact, it heavily relied upon his imminent demise.

And that's where Chiho's abilities came into play. She could effectively nullify and exacerbate the magic of any holy magic user, rendering them ultra-powerful, or completely impotent. Sure enough, another portal opened on the other end of the great slab of stone, and through it stepped a woman with long white hair, red eyes, and a sword that shone brightly enough to make everyone in the vicinity cover their eyes.

"Not so fast, Demon King!" Emilia the Hero called out loud enough for all to hear.

Now it was time for the demons in the crowd to quail in terror. In fact, several quails whom had once been lower ranked demons squawked in fear and took flight. Even the more powerful demons, which now took the shape of poorly dressed humans, looked unsure. Some of them took a shaky step back, and beads of perspiration dotted their foreheads.

"Emilia the Hero!"

"The Sacred Sword, One Wing!"

"Praise Ignora!"

"We're saved!"

The incredible response to Emi's return caused her to blush. A cheer rose from the crowd, and all the humans began to chant her name. People openly and unashamedly sobbed at the sight of her, their savior, returned to rescue them from the demons and restore the magic of the world.

"It's too bad," the Demon King muttered to himself, "Emi obviously means a lot to these people… how could she possibly be prepared to…"

He looked to the Hero, who stood across from him upon the large stone foundation. There was a mischievous light in her eyes, and a small smile that seemed directed right at him, as if they were sharing in a private joke, but the Devil couldn't bring himself to smile back. He was about to completely demolish what little hope the humans had regained since Emi appeared before them… something told him things might not go entirely as planned.

But Emi just blushed a little darker, and continued grinning at him. A breeze swept past the two mortal enemies, and with it came a swirl of what looked like white flower petals. They swirled about the Hero for a moment, and Maou felt something in his chest pang painfully.

The image was splendid, like a moving portrait. The way her head was tilted, the rosy patches upon her cheeks, the way the wind caressed her long white hair, and her red eyes that seemed to bore into him. The Demon King could've sat and stared at the Hero, and the white petals that spiraled about her, for hours, but as fast as they appeared, they vanished. With a start, Maou heard the brazen sound of trumpets. From up the road that led further into the capital, towards a great azure palace, a way was cleared of the throngs that had gathered to witness the Hero's glorious return. Banners were raised, heavily armed knights cleared a path, and before long, a royal procession was visible as well.

Hidden away in a gilded and veiled litter carried by several men who were as tall, strong, and muscular as bodybuilders on Earth was surely the Emperor of the Saint Aire Empire. On either side of the litter, careful not to break formation, were Emerada and Alberto.

The knights guarding the litter cleared a path right to the base of the stone slab, getting as close as they could to the Hero while still maintaining a visual of the Demon King. Maou cast a wary eye on the knights, raising an eyebrow. Instinctively, they put their hands upon the hilts of their swords, staring up at him. The only thing stopping their armor from creaking as they shivered was the fact that they were royal guards, and with their plentiful downtime, they were expected to keep their armor clean and free of any signs of imperfection. It reminded Maou of Heaven, but the closer he looked, he noticed a younger man, probably new to the ranks… and from his bandy legged stance, the Devil could assume he had to go to the bathroom. He lifted his gaze to stare at Emilia, putting the guards at ease, and saving the newest recruit the embarrassment of wetting himself.

"Court Sorceress, can you confirm?" asked a quiet voice from under the litter's veil.

Emerada nodded and looked up at Emi. She was dressed in her holy raiment, and somehow, her powers were still completely intact. Even her sword looked brighter… so bright, in fact, that it was hard to look directly at. Emerada squinted at it, and then gasped.

The sword Emi carried was not Better Half. It was not made of Evolving Holy Silver, but of pure magical energy. Was it possible that the Hero had lost her sword?

Emerada looked at Emi even closer. The woman, though bathed in holy light, looked worn out and tired. Something had happened to her, and she had the haunted look of someone who'd seen too much. The Hero smiled bitterly at her friend, and decided to open an Idea Link.

'Eme,' Emi thought at her friend.

Emerada winced. She had almost forgotten what it felt like to wield magic, so to suddenly be connected to it was almost painful, like the phantom pains one suffered after losing a limb.

'Emi?'

'Yeah. Long time no see,' Emi said with her mind, 'how are you and Al?'

'About as good as can be expected, given circumstance,' Emerada replied.

Through the Idea Link, Emi could sense that her friend, as a sorceress, scientist, and a concerned party, had dozens- no, hundreds of questions, and she was quickly forming a queue of them to fire off like bullets. Emi quickly stopped her, though.

'Eme, time is of the essence. Ente Isla can no longer use magic… we have a lot to discuss, and we'll catch up soon, but for right now, I need you to get the Emperor to keep his men from interfering.'

'How can you ask so much and give so little?' Emerada thought sadly.

A tear fell from the eye of the sorceress. Emi wished she could've jumped down from that stage, wiped away that tear, and wrapped her friend in a hug, but she couldn't. If the plan was to work, she had to die.

'I'm so sorry, but I have to take care of this, first. In this world, there's no place for Heroes or Demon Kings… I've just let Chiho know that she needs to get in touch with you so we can talk some more. We'll meet up on Earth, ok?'

'Wait, what you-'

The Idea Link was severed. Emerada felt her hackles raise as the pressure surrounding the Hero and the Demon King began to build. Wiping away the tear that had fallen, the sorceress cleared her throat and leaned closer to the litter.

"Tell your men to clear the area," Emerada said, "I sense that the Hero and the Devil are about to do battle, and I cannot shield your guards from the radiating magical energy."

From under the veil came a low grunt. "Fine. Alberto, would you do the honors?"

Alberto, on the other side of the litter, gave a quick bow to the Emperor before drawing a deep breath.

"Guards, clear away the civilians," he ordered loudly, "and take cover! Shield walls!"

As one, all the guards in the square took up their shields and formed a protective encirclement, but instead of using them to push at the crowds, they turned them inward, protecting the civilians from the incredible magical energies emanating from the Devil and the Hero. Their auras burned brightly as the day began to grow dark. The air hummed as their auras grew larger, pressing against each other with the loud crackle of lightning. The pressure and force cause the stone slab to split right down the middle.

"It's time we settled this, Hero," Maou bellowed. He spoke loudly and clearly, so that everyone present could hear his words.

"I agree!" Emi projected, also speaking so that all could understand her.

As one, the Hero and the Devil tensed. Emi held her sword level with her face. Following the blade with her eye, she aimed right for the Demon King's heart. Maou raised his hands, fingers splayed as red lighting danced in his palms.

Everyone present was silently screaming. The sound of the guards steadily shuffling everyone away from the town square was loud. In a flash, Emi and Maou charged each other. Blood sprayed. Mouths hung agape as people tried to grasp what had happened.

In a matter of seconds, they had exchanged so many strikes it was difficult to follow, and then, the Hero found an opening. Maou froze, his hands raised to strike, as the Hero, who looked rather small beside him, grasped her sword, which was buried in the Devil's chest.

She had stabbed him in the heart.

"I have bested you, Satan Jacob," Emi cried out, "admit defeat!"

"Never!"

With a shaky hand, the Devil gripped the Hero and pulled her close. She bared her teeth and twisted her sword. Maou coughed up blood and spat it into her face. He raised a hand, and the sound of a portal opening behind Emi distracted her. With a roar of effort, Maou tackled the Hero through it. Emi fell backwards with a scream, and before anyone could react, the Gate slammed closed behind them.

Rika, Ashiya, and Chiho, whom had been watching from within the crowd, breathed a sigh of relief. Rika laid a hand on Ashiya's shoulder and he quickly nodded, slipping away in the confusion as he made for the demon horde, which had been completely stunned by the sudden loss of their leader, for the second time that evening.

Conflict stirred. Guards had accidentally pressed civilians into the demons, and people were desperately trying to get away. A woman screamed as Ashiya marched right up to the source of the commotion and called for order.

"Silence!" Ashiya's tone surprised everyone, as he didn't look remotely capable of such a strong, commanding voice. Still, everyone froze. Ashiya drew his sword, the same one that had been infused with the power of the previous Demon King. Somehow, it seemed to draw the eye, and pull at the wills of every demon who gazed upon it.

"I, Alciel, Archdemon to the last Demon King, have returned! As is my right as Satan's closest confidant, I proclaim myself your new King!"

The demons, who'd had their true king back for a few minutes, weren't sure whether or not they should cheer, as the mortality rates for ranking demons had been abysmal in the last half hour. The wind blew, and the blade keened, as though it were vibrating a tune. Slowly, a cheer began to rise from amongst the demons.

But as the new Demon King Alciel commanded his troops to retreat, the sorceress at the Emperor's side grew discontented. Emi's words, coupled with the Gate the Devil had created, could only mean one thing.

"I don't buy this for an instant," Emerada muttered to herself as the last of the demons left the city, "The Hero and the Devil are still very much alive."

"Hey there, Emerada!" said a cheery voice from right behind the sorceress.

Emerada whipped about, as did the strongmen lifting the litter holding the Emperor, and all his guards. Standing there, with her hands clasped behind her back, was Chiho Sasaki. From all Emerada knew, the girl was a human, native to Japan… so why did she look so different? And more importantly, why did she seem to radiate holy magic?

"You have a lot of questions," Chiho surmised with a small grin, "is there somewhere we can talk?"

* * *

The world of Ente Isla slowly began to change. It warped so as to better fit a world without magic. Science took its place, and every day more discoveries were made.

The demons of the world, under the command of their new King, Alciel, began negotiations with the Saint Aire Empire in an effort to establish peace. Most of the nobles were horrified that the Emperor would allow such a travesty of justice, and rumors ran rampant that the two women who usually accompanied Ashiya had somehow used their connection with the Court Sorceress to get to the Emperor, thus bewitching him into handing the Empire over to the demons. The theory never got very far, however, as there was no magic to be had in the world.

News of the Devil and the Hero spread like wildfire. Runners were dispatched, and soon the four continents were all aware of what had happened. Hundreds of eyewitnesses, including the testimony of the Emperor himself, left people with little alternative but to believe that the Hero had killed the Demon King, only to be destroyed in a last ditch attempt at victory.

The Hero coming back from the dead, however, left the Theocracy's reputation in tatters. With the destruction of Heaven, and the subsequent return of the Hero, so much doubt was cast in their direction that the Church had no other choice but to declare its own heresy. The organization was disbanded, and a certain Crestia Bell was placed at the head of a movement called the Divine Inquisition, where she had the power to excommunicate the Archbishops, speak of the fall of Heaven without being branded a heretic, and a wide slew of other powers that allowed her to rebuild the Theocracy in a much different aspect. Food would be given to the hungry. Medicine would be delivered to the sick and feeble, and people would take a 'hands on' approach at fixing their own problems.

Lucifer, as the Demon General beneath Alciel, acted about as high and might as one would expect. For all anyone knew, he was the last angel, fallen or otherwise, in existence. Chiho had warped the memories of the other angels she had rescued, making them believe they had always been human.

As a result of this, however, Lucifer was also the target of a mad plot to kidnap him, and set him up as a god by followers of the old Theocracy. While the kidnapping failed, the news of it was broadcast worldwide, giving the Demon General ample time to speak with the leader of the new Church. Bell and Lucifer had never been more pleased to have plenty of time together behind closed doors.

Rika and Chiho, both of whom were now gods, or as close as a human could get to becoming one, worked with the Emperor, Alciel, and Crestia Bell, acting as level headed mediators and impartial judges. When disputes rose between demons and humans, they were put in charge of it, and the two women soon headed up a task force specifically created to promote demon/human relations. Rika, as a human herself, was quite proud to be able to announce that she and the Demon King were engaged, and would soon have a child.

Nord, who had lost his wife to Ignora, had decided to quit his life of intrigue. When questioned by Emi, he revealed that he and Lailah were never a part of an organization. With no angelic wife to sweep him off on adventures, he returned to his cabin in the north, where he could mourn in peace, and wait for the final plan to blow over. This was also where Emi and Maou stayed before being transported to the capital by Rika and Chiho.

And what of Satan Jacob and Emilia Justina, you ask? They returned to Japan after their duel, where Maou was quite unhappy to find he'd been evicted. His credit cards were maxed out, his bank account was over-drafted, his bills were all sent to him with late notices, and the same agent whom he had spoken with when searching for somewhere to live was actually showing his apartment to another potential tenant. Maou was so unhappy, in fact, that he almost didn't notice the realtor's anger being absorbed into him, where it quickly manifested itself in the form of demon magic. Though Chiho and Rika had completely drained Ente Isla, it seemed that Emi and Maou were not completely powerless on Earth, due to the place having its own Tree of Life, which had already advanced a lot in the last century.

The day after arriving in Japan, everything was back as it was before Maou hadd left. His furniture was back where it was supposed to be. He'd phoned Kisaki and would be going back to work next Monday, and his apartment was quiet. He'd used magic to get the bank to loan him enough money to keep himself and Emi afloat until they were working again. He had every intention of paying his debts, as well, but until next Monday, which was still three days away, he had nothing to do.

* * *

Maou sighed and laid down in his apartment. It felt nostalgic, in a way, but sad at the same time. Usually, Ashiya would be preparing him dinner. Urushihara would be complaining and making a mess. Instead, the lights were off. Maou was all alone, as Emi had returned to her apartment in Eifuku, and snow was falling outside his window. It was still somewhat early in the day, but it was fairly dark out. Maou was just beginning to contemplate getting up and making something to eat when the sound of footsteps on the stairs made him freeze.

He waited, listening as the door to the common hall closed. The footsteps stopped outside his door before someone knocked.

"It's me," Emi said.

The Devil smiled. Even though it had been weird living with Emi and her father in that little cabin for a month, it was only natural that she stop by and visit. They were the only two Ente Islans on Earth at the moment.

"Come on in," he called, "it's unlocked."

"Y'know, you really shouldn't leave your door unlocked," Emi said, opening the door and promptly kicking off her boots before turning on the light and setting a paper bag on the table.

Maou shielded his eyes from the light, but the scent of food set his stomach rumbling.

"What if someone tried to break in and rob you?" Emi continued.

"What are they goona take, Emi? My sleeping bag?"

"Your life?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, something tells me that you won't have any complaints about that," Maou shrugged, "what did you bring? I'm starving!"

"You're favorite," Emi sighed, "MgRonalds."

"Ugh, really?"

Emi glared at Maou, who turned up his nose at the food.

"We have to watch our spending," Emi said, "neither of us have jobs yet, and the more we borrow, the more interest we have to pay back."

"I still can't believe you convinced me to take out a loan," Maou shook his head, ripping apart a burger wrapper as he spoke, "I could've just asked them for the money. I can be very persuasive."

"What about the paper trail? If you just asked them for that much money and they gave it to you, someone would lose their job. The cameras would see us, and we'd get into trouble!"

The Hero continued to glare at Maou, her anger festering until it broke over and she stole his french fries. The Devil mumbled indignantly through a mouthful of double cheeseburger, but Emi was already going to town on the crispy golden delights.

As she ate the Devil's fries, the Hero slowly remembered that she was eating for two.

That was the real reason Emi insisted upon returning to her old apartment yesterday, rather than just staying with Maou in the Villa Rosa. She had gone out, fished some money out of her limited savings, and visited a supermarket, where she purchased a pregnancy test. Much to her dread, it had come up positive.

In truth, she wasn't all that surprised. She'd hoped that Ignora had been lying, but during her time spent living with Maou and her father in the cabin, she had noticed an increase in appetite, an increase in cramps, and a general feeling of sickness that she couldn't shake.

As Emi stared across the table at the Devil, who was still scowling at her, she wondered if he would make a good father.

'Of course he would,' a little voice in her head said, 'what about Alas-Ramus?'

The thought of the Yesod fragment nearly brought Emi to tears.

Just after Heaven had fallen, Emi had woken up to find that the all of the people who'd been there had been teleported to safety. That was when she learned that Rika and Chiho had been chosen by the Sephiroth to act as vessels for the world's magic. It was also where Emi and Maou had been forced to say goodbye to Alas-Ramus, and Nord said goodbye to Acies-Ara.

Unfortunately, the magic the Sephiroth had worked had completely repaired the Fruit, and restored the Tree of Life to working order. The stone boughs and branches turned brown and barky. The leaves become green, and the apples changed as well. Each one was a different color, corresponding with its Sephirah, and its roots had sunk into a lone patch of dirt in the dusty dunes of the moon.

The Tree was now free to grow and expand as long as humans progressed… on the other hand, Acies and Alas would have to stay, as a fracture in the Sephiroth would cause humanity to spiral back into disarray.

"We love you, Alas-Ramus," Maou and Emi had cried, holding onto their adopted daughter for dear life as they wept.

"Don' cwy," Alas-Ramus had said sadly, squished between Maou and Emi as tears fell from her large violet eyes.

"Emi," Maou said, snapping his fingers as the Hero snapped back to reality, where she and Maou were sitting in the Villa Rosa.

With a start, Emi realized she had been crying. It seemed her emotions were starting to get a little more difficult to control with each passing day.

"Thinking about Alas-Ramus?" Maou asked.

"Mhmm," Emi sniffled.

Maou rounded the table and gently hugged Emi from behind. Again, he found himself lost in the feeling of her skin on his, and the way she smelled. Everything about her seemed holy in a way that had nothing to do with angels or gods.

"I miss her too," Maou muttered quietly.

After a few moments, Emi cleared her throat, and Maou returned to his seat on the other side of the table, swiping his french fries from the Hero in the process.

"So did you get a hold of Kisaki yet," Emi wondered, trying to change the subject.

Maou took a sip of cola to clear his throat and replied, "Yep, got my job back."

"And she's not mad about Chiho being missing?"

The Devil frowned and set his drink off to the side as he fiddled with the straw.

"About that…"

Emi felt her stomach sink. Had something happened? They were just in Ente Isla yesterday, how could their plan be falling apart so rapidly?

"When I asked about Chiho, Kisaki had no idea who I was talking about," Maou murmured, "it wasn't a joke either. I dropped it and went to Chiho's parent's house out of curiosity and… and I think Chiho did something. Her parents didn't know me, and when I talked to them about her, they looked at me like I was crazy. They said they didn't have a daughter. If I had to guess, Chiho has erased her presence here, and Rika's probably done the same."

Emi felt her heart break. She pulled out her phone and flicked through the screens to her contacts, where Chiho and Rika were both still there. It seemed odd, but Emi felt the desire to keep those numbers. It would help her remember back to a simpler time, when Rika and Chiho were normal humans from Japan who ate food, and used cell phones, and went to work, and had friends and family.

Emi thought about Rika's family, and how they used to work together in a factory. Somewhere, there was a family who was missing a member, and they would never even know it. The thought put Emi on the brink of tears until Maou absorbed her sadness.

"Thanks," Emi said miserably.

"No problem… I know it's hard, but I think Chiho and Rika are happy, so we should trust their judgement. Anyway, have you gotten in touch with Docodemo?" Maou wondered.

"No. I don't think they'll take me back," Emi sighed, tempted to thump her head on the table until she had some idea of a good job that paid well. With a chuckle, Maou pulled out a slip of paper and slid it across the table.

"In that case, fill this out," he grinned.

It was a MgRonald's application. Emi's disparaging groan was clearly audible from outside, but in the end she filled it out and gave it to Maou, who promised to take it in and submit it when he went back to work.

Their conversation slowed after that. Emi felt herself grow sick as she considered how she was supposed to tell Maou about their child. He seemed to pick up on her complicated emotions, however, and when he asked her what was wrong, she did the only logical thing.

"I should go," Emi said hurriedly, stuffing her feet into her boots as she held the doorknob.

"You could stay the night," Maou said, gesturing with his thumb at the snow falling outside, "it is snowing out, you know."

"Uh, no- I- have a thing- have to do it first thing in the morning," Emi squeaked as she threw on her coat and turned the knob.

Maou was taken aback by her abrupt departure and raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, ok. Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked, trying not to sound too desperate.

"Yeah," Emi called, having already stepped out into the hallway as she spoke through a crack in the door.

Wondering what on Earth had gotten into Emi, Maou set to work cleaning up the meal she'd left behind. After the apartment was once more returned to its former cleanliness, he turned off the light and snuggled into his sleeping back, which he'd placed right next to the heater. If he closed his eyes, he could still smell Emi on him, and he smiled, pretending that the warmth on his back was Emi lying next to him, and not the heater, as he waited for sleep to take him.


	43. The Devil and the Hero: A Grand Finale!

The weekend passed slowly for both Maou and Emi. Maou was anxious for his return to work, so that he could start making money again. Emi was anxious because she still hadn't told Maou about his being the father of her child. Nor was she sure that she should. Should she keep it? Would it be a demon, like its father? Their tryst, which was done in the heat of the moment during a time of great vulnerability, didn't even seem to matter. It was as if all the things that had happened between them in Ente Isla never actually happened.

But they had. Evidence of this was prominent in the silence that punctuated their conversations. It was apparent in the way they stared at each other when the other person wasn't looking, and it weighed heavily on their minds the instant they were alone.

Emi woke in her apartment every day that weekend, and wondered if she had made a mistake in returning to Japan. By all rights, she could've stayed in Ente Isla. As the Hero who slayed the Demon King, she would have incredible influence, and that wasn't counting her connections to high ranking members of the new Theocracy, the Demon Army, and the Saint Aire Empire.

Seeing as Alciel was the new Demon King, she couldn't help but to lay awake and wonder if she should've stayed in Ente Isla to keep him in line.

Sure, Rika and Chiho would certainly help him to stay on track, and Ashiya was much more level headed than most demons, but he was technically the Demon King. Her entire life had been tied to the fate of the 'Demon Lord.' But now that title had passed to someone else… so why was she still going to check in on Maou every single day?

She tried to tell herself that it was because he was still a Demon King. Just because he had abdicated his throne to atone for his atrocities, that didn't change the fact that his abilities were far greater than most any other demon. Title or no, he was powerful in the extreme, and somehow, he was still able to utilize magic in Japan.

But even if he suddenly turned back into that horrible Devil that had plagued Emi's nightmares, what could she do?

She had no sword. She had no way to recover her powers. If Maou bided his time and amassed even a little strength, he could destroy her.

And that led her to her next qualm. Was she even a Hero?

Unlike Maou, Emi's powers had gone. Along with the Holy Evolving Silver that Ignora had stolen from her, Emi felt as though her identity as a Hero had been torn away as well. She was half angel, so she had an affinity for potent celestial magic, but it was nothing compared to the Demon King's ability, and certainly not enough to raise her above people like Emerada, who had worked with magic their entire lives.

In a sense, Emi felt as though she had retired.

And that thought alone made it hard for Emi to rise from her bed in the morning. Coupled with the humiliation of having just applied to MgRonalds, she was sure that Maou was having quite a laugh about her predicament. Even so, he was polite enough not to say it to her face.

Since their plan had succeeded, and the angels had lost control of the Tree of Life, Maou had actually been rather supportive of Emi. After learning that Lailah had died, the Demon King was hard pressed to do anything more than hold the Hero as she sobbed.

Then Nord had learned of his wife's death, and Emi had to endure the pain all over again as she watched the spark in his eyes fade. She had never seen a man die and still walk and talk like her father. It was more terrifying than any undead puppet Ignora could conjure.

She'd spent the better part of a month looking after him as they waited for their final showdown to come to fruition. While Nord sat at his table, swilling coffee tainted with the scent of hard liquor, Emi had been at his side, trying to get him to speak. It took a solid week before he finally deigned to talk about Lailah, and the second her name left his lips, tears were falling from his eyes.

'I should see if I can't get Chiho to check on him when they come to visit,' Emi thought as she combed her hair.

Chiho and Rika, as the only two beings left in Ente Isla to possess magic, were also responsible for transporting visitors between worlds. As Christmas was only a couple months away, it would be their duty to transport everyone back to Japan safely.

Chiho, however, was supposed to be visiting Emi within the next few days with Emerada and Alberto in tow. It was only fair that Emi try to explain her choice to stay with Maou in Japan, and say goodbye to her old traveling companions.

And then she remembered that it was Monday. The Demon King had managed to get Emi on the short list for hiring, which meant that she would be accompanying Maou to MgRonalds when he went to work.

Emi looked herself up and down. She looked about nice as she could, considering her limited preparations, pregnancy nausea, and baby bump. Fortunately, she could still hide it well enough so that no one else would notice it, but she did. It looked like she'd started to gain some weight. It was a major shot to her self-esteem, as she had always been somewhat proud of her figure, which was fairly athletic.

After putting on a little makeup and practicing her traditional greetings, which had gone unused during her time in hiding, Emi was on the train bound for Sasazuka. It was only when she realized that she had to walk right by the MgRonalds in question to go to the Villa Rosa that she realized how little planning had gone into Emi's interview on Maou's behalf.

She stomped grumpily up the steps and slammed through the porch door, only to hear Maou yell. Emi also yelled, as she had put all her weight against the door, only for it to bounce shut on her after opening about six inches. She heard groaning on the other side of the door, and opened it to find Maou sprawled on the floor. His forehead was red, and a line of blood ran from his lip.

"What the hell, Emi?" Maou mumbled.

"Sorry," she said, kneeling down next to him and producing a tissue from her purse. She quickly dabbed the blood from Maou's lip, but stopped after a moment, when she noticed how his eyes were locked onto her.

Memories of their time in Ente Isla flashed before Emi's eyes before she quickly stood up, cleared her throat, and held out a hand for Maou.

With a grin, Maou took it, and the two of them set off for the Hatagaya Station MgRonalds together. Maou pushed his bike so that he might walk with Emi, who would leave after her interview while Maou worked his first full shift in a long time.

"Excited to be going back to work?" Emi asked.

"Nervous," Maou replied bitterly.

His mind was still back in the porch at the Villa Rosa, where Emi had cradled his head and dabbed at his lips with a tissue. Their faces had been so close that Maou thought they might kiss. Apparently, Emi was suffering from a severe case of denial about what happened in Ente Isla , because it looked like he was back to square one.

"So, anything happening?" Maou wondered innocently. "Anything at all?"

"Nothing that you don't already know," Emi said, pulling a small mirror out of her purse to double check her makeup.

Without even meaning to, Emi had just shot down Maou's attempt to try and connect with her. It was almost as effortless as her natural beauty, which only exacerbated the Demon King's discontent.

He'd given up his titles, and his trappings. He'd killed off the persona of the Lord of Demons, and exiled himself to the world of Japan, where he might repent his wickedness… and it still wasn't enough to warrant an ounce of the Hero's approval.

'This sucks,' Maou thought as he split up with Emi to park his bike behind the restaurant while she went in the main entrance to meet with Kisaki.

Maou, as the newly reinstated shift manager (a position that hadn't been filled in the time he was absent) took up leading the pre-shift meeting like he'd never missed a step. It was only natural that a man of his talents be able to leave for nearly two months and return to work with minimal troubles. He did so well, in fact, that anyone who doubted him was fully placated by the end of the meeting. With a smile that wasn't quite as bright as it usually was, he held the door and let his coworkers out of the break room, giving them encouragement as they started their work day.

It wasn't hard for Maou to find Emi. As soon as he stepped onto the floor, he spotted her bright magenta hair. She was sitting in a corner booth with Kisaki, speaking in a low voice as Kisaki scribbled. Emi was wearing a small smile, and nodding eagerly. For a woman who'd just lost a mother and fought in a war, she looked quite ravishing.

Maou waited, staring at Emi for a moment before he unfroze and looked around. He expected to see Chiho watching him quite closely, discreetly frustrated that he had been staring at the Hero with such a slack jawed expression.

But Chiho wasn't there. She was in Ente Isla, helping to cultivate peace in a world that Maou had very nearly destroyed.

Emi glanced at Maou, as though she could feel his gaze, and frowned at him as Kisaki scribbled something on her notepad, as if to say, ' _What are you looking at, idiot_?'

Pulling his MgRonalds visor more securely onto his head, Maou entered the fray himself, doing anything and everything he could to distract himself from the Hero in the corner booth. It was almost an hour before Emi finally stood, shook Kisaki's and walked up to the register.

"Good day, ma'am, what can I get for you?" asked one of Maou's subordinates.

"I'll take a large BigMg combo, to go, please," Emi said, her eyes boring into Maou's back so hard that he could practically feel her gaze.

With gusto, Maou singlehandedly prepared the meal and brought it to Emi, who smirked at him. Her grin died, however, when she realized, yet again, that the father of her unborn child worked at MgRonalds… and if she was lucky, she would, too.

"Here you go, Emi," Maou said, "how'd it go, by the way?"

"I dunno. Kisaki is hard to get a read on," Emi said quickly, "I'll see you later, Maou."

With that, the Hero checked her order and turned to leave. After she was out of earshot, the young man at the register, Sato, turned to stare at Maou incredulously.

"You know her?"

"Yeah, we're friends."

It was odd to say, but somehow Maou couldn't think of what else to call them. He wasn't the kind of guy to point out the women he'd slept with to people he didn't know well.

"She's totally hot," Sato said, "is she single? Could you get her number for me?"

"Back to work, Sato," Kisaki growled, having swept up behind Maou and the underling without so much as a sound.

Sato turned as white as a ghost and immediately left to go scrub the bathrooms while Kisaki took his place at the register.

"I just got done interviewing your girlfriend," Kisaki said.

"She's not my girlfriend," Maou sighed.

"Oh? That's not what she said," Kisaki laughed, nudging Maou with her elbow. The Demon Lord stared at his boss for a moment before he managed to respond.

"She- you mean- Emi said that?"

"Oh, yes. She says you two are getting pretty serious, and if she gets this job the two of you will probably move in together."

While Emi and Maou hadn't discussed it recently, Maou had promised Emi a place to live, should she need it, and it only made sense that she live closer to her place of work. On top of that, she could hardly afford to keep staying in such an upscale place as she did at the moment, so it was only logical that she would consider moving in… but why in the hell hadn't Emi talked to Maou about it?

"Of course, I frown on workplace relationships," Kisaki was saying as Maou came back to his senses, "but that doesn't mean they're prohibited. So long as nothing impedes your work, you can date whoever you want."

"Uh, Ms. Kisaki? Would you mind if I went after Emi? It's kind of important."

"Geez, are you only now just going to ask her out?" Kisaki asked, as if love were some odd emotion she couldn't understand, "get the hell out of here, already! With how clueless you are, you're lucky a girl that sophisticated likes you!"

Maou grinned and handed Kisaki his visor as he ran to the back exit and unlocked Dullahan II from the bike rack. He pedaled out to the front and took in his bearings. If he focused his power, he could sense Emi's presence, which radiated holy magic. He pedaled as fast as he could, racing through the streets so fast that the cops would probably be called. After very nearly getting hit by a pickup truck, Maou crossed the street and found himself at a park. He looked around, his eyes glowing crimson as he searched.

And there she was, alone on a bench, a half-eaten burger in her lap… and tears spilling down her face as she held her head.

Her sadness was exacerbated by her fear and indecision. For a moment, Maou wondered what could be wrong, and he considered pedaling his way back to MgRonalds and trying to forget about what he'd seen, but it would only serve to worry him. Instead, he got off his bike and parked it by a light pole before approaching. Emi looked up as she noticed him, and quickly turned her face to hide her tears.

"Can I sit down?"

No response came, but Emi nodded. The Demon King took a seat. It was chilly out, and he'd forgotten his coat. The excitement he'd felt moments ago was now replaced with fear.

"What's going on, Emi?" Maou asked quietly, "You've been really weird lately."

She looked at him through teary eyes, her mind whirling as she tried to muster the courage to tell him the truth. In the end, she simply shook her head and broke down, the tears forming silver lines on her face as she sobbed even harder. After a moment, Maou threw an arm around her. Emi moved so fast that Maou thought she was going to stab him, but instead she wrapped him in a hug that was so tight and desperate that he could practically feel her pain.

"M-Maou," Emi muttered quietly, "I-I have something I have to say to you-"

"Emi, I love you."

Before Emi could speak, Maou knew he had to make his feelings for her known for the second time. He had to do it there, in Japan, with no demons or angels or gods. He had to do it where there were no Heroes, and no Devils. As he did, he felt tears stream down his face. As soon as he stopped talking, he was sure that Emi would tell him that she intended to go back to Ente Isla, probably to tend to that little farm in a village long since destroyed by Lucifer's armies. But before she went, she needed to know how he really felt.

"Maou, what are you saying?"

"I… I've been around for a while, Emi."

"O-ok?" Emi sniffled through her tears, which had stopped due to the odd topic of discussion.

"All throughout my life, I've had these moments that felt like leaps of faith… each and every time I came to the precipice, though, I turned and walked away. In these last two years, I've learned that for anything in life to get better, you have to take those leaps of faith. You have to put yourself out there and hope for the best. I mean, I put myself out there in the Demon World, and I became a King!"

"Are you gonna tell me something worthwhile, or can I go now," Emi sighed sadly, her food growing cold on the bench beside her.

"But then you attacked me, in my castle on the Isla Centorum, and I took a leap of faith through the Gate…I came here to Japan, I started a new life, and I tried my hardest to fit in with the humans… I even learned from them. Then, one day, it was raining and I saw this girl under the awning of a restaurant. I didn't even know where to begin, she was so pretty… definitely out of my league, but I took a leap of faith, and I gave her an umbrella. And that's how I met you."

"What are you saying?" Emi repeated, her tears now long gone as she waited for the Devil to get to the point.

"Emi, I've gotta take this leap of faith, and I gotta do it now, otherwise I'll regret it forever, so…. I love you. I think you're amazing, and I've felt this way for a while now. I used to think humans were terrible, like insects to be crushed-"

"How romantic," Emi said to herself.

"But the truth is, we demons are no better. Emi, I took a leap, and I know it's scary to stand on the edge of the unknown, but I was thinking… maybe we could this leap together."

"Maou…"

"Yeah? What is it?"

"I just… I'm not sure- I mean, what would everyone think? What about our friends-"

"I don't give a damn what they think," Maou said, gripping Emi's shoulders and staring into her emerald eyes, "but I know that I care for you more than anything else in this world, and in Ente Isla."

Emi took Maou's hands from her shoulders, and held them in her own for a moment before placing them in Maou's lap. She turned away, her stomach churning as she realized that it was time to tell the Devil the truth of the matter.

"Maou," Emi said quietly, "I'm pregnant."

"…huh?"

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **This will be the second to last chapter of The Devil and the Hero: Forgive and Forget. The last chapter will be a Christmas special that's roughly five months past due, which will reunite everyone in Japan. Otherwise, this is the official end of the story. It's been a wild ride, and I had a lot of fun writing it. The date of creation for the file on my computer says 1/30/2015, 12:47 am which means it's been three years, three months, and almost three hours to the day since I wrote some stupid little story to try and kill my boredom and stress. That's a long time, and in that time my life has changed in ways I won't bother to recount for the sake of privacy. Still, I can safely say that things are better.**

 **It's kinda hard, because as I've stated before, I've lived my life with these characters at my side. I believe it's in the afterword of volume one of the Hataraku Maou Sama light novels where Satoshi Wagahara is asked by the Devil and the Hero to surrender his life, so that he might record their story. I'd like to thank him for doing so. I think he managed to successfully capture the essence of writing, and I can still revisit the characters through the ongoing series!**

 **If you are in any way dissatisfied with the ending, just know that I'm pretty unhappy with it, myself. I planned on having this huge, epic battle, and tons of violence and swordplay and whatnot, but then I wrote it and I was just like... what? That's it?**

 **Fun fact, I had planned on everyone getting a happy ending. I wanted to have everyone sitting at the same little table, in the same little apartment, bandaged and bruised, but the more I wrote, the harder that became to achieve. A moment of silence for Chiho and Rika, who had to do the unthinkable to save a world that wasn't theirs.**

 **I also had a buttload of songs I wanted to share, but instead, I'll leave you with this one, that I've been saving for the end of this story.**

 **New Politics-One Of Us**

 **If you read this story and liked it, please share it with a friend!**

 **For now, I suppose I'll be signing off! Oh, and don't worry, I'm sure I'll have more DIAPT stuff for you all in the future.**

 **Thanks for reading. You're the best.**

 **-Radentor**


	44. The Devil and the Hero: Christmas

It was Christmas Eve in Japan. Snow was falling in droves, and made travel rather dangerous, but when you have magic, you needn't worry. As such, when a large Gate opened on the front lawn of the Villa Rosa, and several people stepped out of it, Emi clapped her hands excitedly.

"They're here!" she said happily.

Maou, whom had been hard at work all day preparing enough food for the party, smiled as Emi waited at the door. Somehow, just seeing her so cheerful made all the hard work he'd put into the food worth it. The sound of heavy travelling boots pounding up the stairway was heard, and hushed voices whispered from behind the door before someone knocked.

Without waiting, Emi threw open the door to reveal Ashiya, Urushihara, Suzuno, Chiho, Rika, Emerada, Alberto, and Nord. They were all dressed in fine clothes, as was fitting their stations in Ente Isla, along with long matching cloaks for warmth.

"Hi, guys," Emi chirped, "come on in!"

"My lord," Ashiya said, nodding stiffly to Maou.

"Come on, man, you're King, now! Buck up!" Maou said, wrapping his former subordinate in a bear hug and lifting him off the ground.

"I know that… I just wanted to say it again," Ashiya laughed, embracing Maou in return.

Rika, Chiho, and Emi and a great group hug. Urushihara held out a fist so that Maou might bump it, but the former Demon King slapped it aside and wrapped him in a hug just as fierce as the one he gave Ashiya. Suzuno gave Emi a light peck on the cheek and asked about her health before going to help Maou with the food. Nord was last, and he was dressed splendidly in long black robes that made him look scholarly.

After he had finished grieving his wife, Nord had drafted by Chiho to help draw up maps of the lands as they once were, so that war torn regions of the world could be reclaimed, and debts could be repaid by the lords of those lands, whom had failed in defending their people. Nord had also begun dabbling in chemisty, and worked closely with Emerada to further scientific advancements in Ente Isla. Compared to the last time Emi had seen him, he looked positively delighted.

"Emi," he said, opening his arms as the woman quickly embraced her father.

"Oof! Easy, darling, I'm not quite as spry as I once was. War does a number on an old man's tired bones," Nord laughed as his daughter beamed at him.

After greetings had been had all around (Suzuno and Emerada positively screamed to be put down when Maou wrapped them in his patented bear hug) everyone gathered at the tree in the corner to tuck presents away underneath them. Emi and the woman went to what was once Suzuno's apartment, but was now Maou and Emi's dining and living room. Even after renting the second room, and ending up with almost as much living space as Emi's old apartment, they were saving almost ten thousand yen.

Maou explained the deal he'd made with the landlady in earnest, and how she had even agreed to install a full bathroom in one of the upstairs rooms in exchange for another security deposit.

"You are certainly moving up in the world," Ashiya smiled.

It may have seemed a strange thing to be proud of, seeing as all of the other men in the room dealt with Emperors and Kings and politics in grand castles, but Maou was extremely proud of himself. Not only had he been a King in his old life, but he was doing quite well in his current one, too.

"Yeah, I guess I've been doing really good at work, now that we're not fighting for our lives on a regular basis. I've been promoted again. I'm co-managing with Kisaki. She's going to school so that she can crunch numbers for corporate, and once she's gone I'll be a manager in full!"

They went around the room, discussing their achievements as Maou spoke to them and put the finishing touches on the feast he'd spent all day preparing. Ashiya and Urushihara had very little opposition from the demons under their banner, and power had been seamlessly consolidated after the United Demons Militia had been formally disbanded. Camio worked hard to make sure that peace was kept, as did Rika and Chiho.

"How have they been?" Maou asked quietly, stirring a boiling pot on the range.

"Well, they're…" Urushihara broke off.

Even after three months, it seemed there was still some animosity surrounding Rika and Chiho. Their appointment at the hands of the Tree of Life as the guardians of magic had changed them, making them a little less human in several ways.

"They're fine," Ashiya sighed, rolling his eyes at Urushihara.

"Yeah, but dude, they just… I mean- they're so…." Urushihara tried and failed to make his point. At one time, Maou might've rolled his eyes and told him to shut up, but instead, he laughed. It was good to see his friends after so long.

The door burst open, and Emi came in, grinning ear to ear. Held in her arms, waving her pudgy fists and yelling "Papa!" was none other than-

"Alas-Ramus!" Maou cried, putting down the large stirring spoon and taking off his apron so that he might hold the wriggling bundle of joy. Emi handed the girl to Maou, who hugged her tightly and sprinkled her with little kisses.

"I missed you so much, Alas! How have you been?! How are you here?"

Maou turned to find Rika and Chiho in the doorway. The two of them were grinning just as broadly as Emi, their cheeks touched with color as they bowed to Maou.

"We've been conversing with the Tree of Life," Chiho said quietly, "and Alas-Ramus really missed you…"

Chiho looked sad for a moment. Rika's face darkened as well. Maou frowned at them, and then at Emi, who turned away sadly.

"Hold on, what are you guys not telling me?" Maou asked, turning to look Alas-Ramus up and down for signs of injury.

"Wha- where's… Alas-Ramus, what happened to your hair?"

The little girl usually had a large violet streak in her hair, but now it was gone. Her eyes, too, were no longer violet. They were just as silvery as the girl's locks.

"Wanted to be wiff papa and mama," Alas-Ramus said quietly, unshed tears in her eyes as she looked at Maou.

"She's no longer technically a fragment of Yesod," Emi explained, "she gave it up… and asked to be separated from the Tree of Life. She's a human, now."

"Papa, can I live wiff you and mama? Pwease?"

Maou looked at Emi, who was watching him closely as she gently massaged her baby bump, which was now more pronounced. Maou was making better money now, and his expenses were limited now that his loan had been repaid, but was he ready for another child?

"Of course, sweetie," Maou laughed, "you pretty much have to, now! It'll be me and you and mama, and soon you'll have a sibling, too!"

"Uh, what now?" Nord asked.

Emi turned as white as a ghost. Through Chiho, Emi had had the news of her pregnancy spread to everyone… but that was before Nord had decided to join them in the Saint Aire capital… back when he was still grieving his wife.

"Uh… dad… can I talk to you in the other room for a minute," Emi asked, still holding her stomach.

Nord looked at Emi, then at Maou, his eyes wide. After a moment, he laughed, and before Emi and Maou could stop him, he had them both in a hug.

"It seems I owe your mother twenty gold pieces, bless her soul," Nord laughed, "she called this from a mile away!"

* * *

That Christmas, it felt as though everything had gone back to normal. Everyone sat together around the table, eating, drinking and laughing loudly. Even Rika and Chiho, who were normally quite reserved, managed to let loose to a certain extent.

But even more exciting news was yet to come, in the form of an announcement from Suzuno, who stood up, wrapping her cup with a fork to garner everyone's attention.

"Hello, friends," she said, sweating quite profusely as everyone stared at her. Lucifer looked at her and turned pale. For a moment, his eyes flicked towards the closet, as though he were tempted to dive into it.

"I have a very important announcement to make… later this year, Urushihara and I are to be wed in holy matrimony!"

Everyone was floored. Suzuno shook a hand free of the constraints of her robe and showed them all the amazing ring Lucifer had given her, which was topped with a diamond so large it made Emi elbow Maou in the ribs and point to it like, _'Why can't I have one of those_?'

"We're so happy for you!" Chiho and Rika said in unison, clapping as Urushihara slumped down in his chair.

"Of course, you are all invited," Suzuno was saying.

"So, Urushihara, when are you gonna make me an Uncle? Huh? Huuuuh?" Maou asked, jabbing at the Demon General with a forkful of mashed potatoes.

"In about seven months," Urushihara smirked.

Maou's jaw hit the table as he spluttered, "But-wha- you're having a baby?!"

"We are, too!" Emerada said, raising her hand and jumping up and down in her seat, "Alberto and I are having a baby as well!"

"Looks like we started a chain reaction," Ashiya muttered in a sidebar with Rika, "at this rate, every woman in the world will be pregnant within the year."

Rika giggled and kissed Ashiya on the cheek.

Dinner slowly dwindled away, and the party wound down. People lounged around tiredly, setting up sleeping bags and changing into pajamas. As couples drifted off to sleep, Maou and Emi curled up together in a sleeping bag, but this time they had Alas-Ramus with then, as well.

"Night, mama, night papa," Alas-Ramus said quietly.

"Goodnight, darling," Emi muttered, pecking the girl on the cheek.

"So what do you think," Maou whispered in his wife's ear, "pretty good Christmas, right?"

"Yeah, it was nice," Emi yawned. "So nice to see everyone again…"

And just like that, Alas-Ramus and Emi were asleep.

And that is also where our story ends, with a slumbering Hero, and a Demon King snuggling his family. There is plenty more to tell of their friends, of the places they would venture, the things they would change, the sights they would see, and of the progeny they raised. But those are other stories. This one ended when the Devil and the Hero set aside their differences, and learned to forgive and forget.

The End.


End file.
